Out of my Time
by Moonowl17
Summary: I am lost and confused and I am scared of what I should do. My father sent me here for a reason but what is it? Jack/OC, Gwen/Rhys. PLease read and review; no flames. Do not own Torchwood, property of Davies and the BBC.
1. Discoveries

This is my new Torchwood fic. I don't own Torchwood; that belongs to Davis and the BBC… I do own all OC characters. Please read and review

**Chapter One: Discoveries**

"Don't do it" an American male voice said behind me.

"Why not?" I asked as I looked over the edge and into the water.

"Because I know what you are going through and where you are coming from." He said; this got my attention as I turned to face him.

"And how would you know that?" I asked as I got a better look at his face, he was very handsome there was no denying that, he was wearing an old world war two coat, a period of time I had visited briefly and he pointed to my wrist-strap that was showing and held up his arm.

"Because I am properly the only person who could understand what you are going through. The name is Captain Jack Harkness and who may I ask is the pretty lady that I am saving?" He asked as he flashed a charming smile at me and held out his hand, I looked at it thinking if I should take hold of it or just jump into the murky waters of Cardiff bay if only for a few moments of peace.

"My name is Ilandere Starr." I said as I reached out and took his hand, he pulled me closer to him I assumed just to make sure that I didn't change my mind.

"Nice to meet you Ilandere, come on let's get you something warm to drink and we can talk what do you think?" He said as he looked down at me and I smiled as he led me away from the water and to a small tourist information place.

I was not an ordinary human, well to the naked eye I was but I was a person out of my time... but not only that, I was somewhat special shall we say. My wrist-strap was purple and I had also purple eyes, another thing that was strange. People assumed that they were color contacts and I did nothing to encourage this idea. I am small for my age, at twenty (well that is how I looked anyway, my real age I am not telling since no one would believe me) I have long black hair that went down to my waist and in the front I had two natural purple streaks these were not highlights but my real hair color; again people thought they were highlights and again it was another rumor that I did not discourage. I am not overweight; in fact the apartment block I live in has a gym so I was really toned and my figure... well let's just say I wasn't one of the curvy people I guess I would be a person who turned heads since I looked different but attractive... I don't wear make up, currently I am wearing black jeans, a red top and a grey cardigan jacket as I followed this Captain Jack to the tourist information place. We walked in, him being a gentleman held the door open for me and then I looked around. He smiled at me and then winked as he reached over and pushed a button... a door opened in the wall... cool! He walked up to me and held out his elbow.

"Shall we Ilandere?" He asked and I smiled as I took his arm and he led me down a dark corridor and then a lift. When we came out of the lift he pressed a button and I could hear a loud siren as a cog shaped door opened to revel an open office, the water from the bay waterfall was flowing down to the floor and into a small moot.

"They did a good job restoring the bay after the explosion." I mentioned as I turned to see Jack's face dropped and sadness in his eyes; I must have said something wrong. I read about it in the news; it was about a year and a half ago and I never thought that something like that would happen in Cardiff.

"Jack we have rift activity." A female voice said as he looked up and ran to her. She had black hair and was typing something onto a computer as Jack looked at the screen.

"You wanna help out?" Jack said as I looked at him puzzled. He came over to me and handed me something in my hand; I opened it and looked down and saw a small ear piece in my hand; I shrugged, all I had planned was to kill myself only to come back to life again, part of me being special.

"Sure why not." I said as I put the ear piece in my ear and smiled at Jack.

"Gwen you send the co-ords to the SUV and keep us up to date while we take care of this." He said to the other girl who eyed me wearily but nodded, Jack took hold of my hand and smiled. "Sorry Ilandere, we have to postpone that drink for a while." He said as he pulled me down a poorly lit corridor, I looked up and saw that there were a few light-bulbs that were out and then we were walking up some stairs. Jack paused as he bent down slightly and then there was a beep as the door opened. Jack opened in a crack and then opened it fully and led me to a black SUV in the car park. He opened the passenger door and helped me in as he got into the driving seat and pressed a button on a small remote as the car came to life. A small computer pulled out in front of me as I looked at it and smiled as it beeped. Jack put his finger on it as more information and graphs sprang to life and the sat navigation system kicked in, he looked at the co-ords and smiled as he began to pull out of the parking space and he drove onto the streets of Cardiff.

I looked around the SUV, there were bars behind the back seat into the boot and I could see other computers at the side of the seats in the back, both were showing the same graphs as the one in front of me.

"So Ilandere tell me, why did you want to jump?" He asked and I turned to look at him.

"All I wanted was just a few moments of peace." I said as I looked out of the window.

"Are you a Time Agent?" He asked and I looked at him as if to say 'as if'.

"They wanted me because of who I am, but no, I would not join that filth if I could help it, in fact the agency no longer exists thanks to me." I said and he looked at me as a grin passed on his face.

"That is a story you have to tell me sometime." He said as I nodded as I looked back out of the window as the streets of Cardiff flew past us.

"Jack, you are about five hundred meters away from the rift activity, keep in contact, there should be some stun guns in the boot." The girl from the place voice rung through the SUV… Gwen I think Jack said her name was.

"Sure thing Gwen we can deal with this." He said as he pressed a button on the steering wheel and then looked at me and smiled, I blushed this time, there was no denying that he was charming. "And no, before you get worried, Gwen did not hear our conversation; unless I press the button it is basically a one-way communication, same with our headsets." He explained as he pulled into an alleyway and the sat navigation beeped again, meaning we had reached our destination. I didn't really need the headset, but I was not really going to say that to this new person I had met… but somehow he knew about the Time Agency, and he had a wrist-strap like mine meaning he must also be someone from my time. Jack went behind the SUV and opened the boot as I got out of the car and went to him. I looked as he pressed another button on the remote on his key-ring as the bottom opened to reveal weapons, many of which were not from this planet nor time period. He checked two weapons which I knew must be the stun guns Gwen was referring to and handed me one.

"Know how to shoot?" He asked as I grinned this time, he cheeks turned red… wait a second did he just blush at me!?

"I have other means of protecting myself if needed." I said as I checked over the weapon and put it in the back of my jeans down the waist belt and nodded at Jack who then closed the boot and I followed him.

"Okay Gwen, tell me what we are after." Jack said into the headset.

"I think it is just a weevil but the readings are not consistent to what we normally see for a weevil, hope you packed spray in case." She said as Jack reached into his pocket and handed me a can which I assumed must have been this spray.

"Rift readings for a weevil, you are right that is strange, keep lines open Gwen; we will tell you once we have the creature." He said as I looked around where we were.

It was an abandoned warehouse area, one of which was going to be knocked down in a few months if the signs around were anything to go by… modern apartments as I let out a sigh, things were changing and this kinda hurt me. I blinked as I saw something run and then hide again in the shadows as I reached out and touched Jack.

"It went over there." I said as he looked at me and nodded. He allowed me to take the lead as I went forward and then looked over the corner. I saw a creature; it must be what they called a weevil feasting on some kind of dead animal. Jack peered out and saw the same as me.

"Gwen we found it; it looks like a weevil but if you say rift activity maybe it isn't connected?" He said into the headset and I heard Gwen type something on the computer.

"The activity is getting weaker, maybe something has fallen through the rift near it?" She asked and Jack shrugged as he went into the open and whistled.

"Hey ugly, so tell me what are you doing around here?" He asked the creature as it looked up from it's food and then at Jack and huffed as it went back to eating, it was a dog it had found as I stood out of the shadows and next to Jack, this drew it's attention as I got a look at it and smiled, I reached out and touched it's mind as it looked at me and growled.

"Oh sorry, guess you don't like that huh?" I asked it as Jack looked at me. I walked closer to it; it had a simple mind which meant I could take control of it in case I needed to. It growled more as I got closer and I read its thoughts. "Now, now that is not such a nice thing to say is it?" I asked it stood on the spot. "So we can do this the hard way or the easy way, but you are not the reason behind this rift activity are you?" I asked it and it growled again, but it was frozen to the spot; my hand was extended a bit as I held it and Jack looked at me.

"Are you crazy?" He asked me.

"So I have been told." I said as I walked up and touched the creature; it was still growling but under my control it would not do anything. Jack came up to my side and looked at me.

"You can do more than you are telling me." He said; that was not a question, it was a statement.

"Spray the damn creature before I lose my control over it please." I said as I began to sweat; I hadn't been using my powers for a long time and it was beginning to take its toll… I had found the information we needed anyway as to what was causing the rift activity as Jack sprayed the creature and I released my hold as it fled down the sewers.

I fell to my knees and began to pant as Jack bent down and put his hand on my shoulder.

"Where is it?" He asked as I wiped the sweat from my brow and then looked at him.

"You are not scared of me?" I asked him, this was a reason I didn't use my powers, even though they were part of me, in my blood people called me a freak and ran away from me.

"No, of course I am not and I hope that in time you will open up to me, but now we need to get what is causing the rift activity, so where is it?" He asked as I closed my eyes and let the images from the creature fill my mind, flashes, one killing the dog and then another as several items fell around it as it fled. When it came back it took the dog outside and that was where we found it. I opened my eyes and pointed to the warehouse next to us as Jack helped me stand up. Shaking on my legs I leaned on Jack's shoulder as I closed my eyes and relaxed, the sent of Jack's aftershave filled my nostrils, it was a fresh sent and not too overpowering and it reminded me of the same kind of thing my brother wore… I missed my family but they were no longer there. I felt him moving as I opened my eyes and took hold of his arm as we went into the warehouse and looked around. I saw four metal devices on the floor, but they were not complete, they were pieces of something; something that was big. Jack sat me down on a box that was in the warehouse and went over to them; I held my hand out as I made the one closer to me levitate and come towards me as I examined it.

"These are nothing but parts." I said as Jack looked at me and nodded.

"Welcome to the dumping ground of the universe." He said as he picked up the other three parts and put them in his pocket. "So, you are from the same time period as me and have telekinetic and mind controlling abilities, no wonder the Time Agency wanted you." He said as he walked over towards me and helped me to stand up. "You are half human but also half something else right?" He asked and I nodded, there was no need to deny it. "So you going to tell me what else you can do?" He asked as we walked back to the SUV.

"All in good time Captain…. Can't a girl have some secrets?" I asked him as he laughed.

"Jack, come in, is everything okay?" Gwen asked on the communicator… opps forgot about her.

"All taken care of Gwen, we are heading back to the hub, why not take the evening off and go spend time with Rhys and your child." He said as to which I could assume Gwen smiled.

"Aye, aye Captain, I will await for your arrival." She said as we got into the SUV and Jack drove us back to the place he called the hub.

When we got back we went in the same way we got to the car and Jack pointed to the sofa in a kinda station type area and I sat down as he put the parts on the table; Gwen joined me and sat down on another chair.

"Ilandere you want coffee?" Jack asked.

"Water is fine thanks." I said as he looked at me and nodded.

"Hi, my name is Gwen Cooper; I guess you will be sticking around then?" Gwen said as she held her hand out and I took it and shook it.

"My name is Ilandere Starr, yeah I guess so, depends on extenuating circumstances." I said as Gwen looked at me puzzled. "Yeah umm… don't worry about it." I said as I tried to smile as she did with me and Jack brought Gwen a cup of coffee and me a bottle of water. He sat down next to me on the sofa and put his cup down on the table.

"So you think she should stay too then Gwen?" Jack asked her and she nodded.

"At least she isn't freaking out like I did when I walked in." Gwen said and Jack laughed.

"You didn't freak, you were just somewhat above your head in deep water." He said and I looked at the pair confused.

"So this is what you found?" Gwen said and Jack nodded. "There seems to be more and more pieces coming through, do you think that they belong together?" She asked and Jack shrugged. "Well Captain it looks like you don't have the answers. Well I am heading home, call me if anything happens." She said as she went over and squeezed Jack's arm and then smiled at me. She picked up her jacket and then the siren went again as she left the hub.

I opened my bottle of water and began to drink as I looked at Jack who smiled at me.

"So, why were you going to jump this morning?" He asked and I let out a sigh.

"As I said, I just wanted peace albeit for a few moments." I said as I pulled my knees up and hugged them.

"Sure, I can see the logic, jumping into the bay's grubby waters and then drowning to get a few moments peace… makes sense." He said as he looked at me.

"You wouldn't understand what I have been through and what has happened to me." I said as I stood up and walked away, only for my arm to be grabbed by Jack's.

"Try me." He said as I turned and looked at him, tears streaming down my eyes. I looked at him and hung my head, could I really trust this person with everything?

"No, it is too soon." I said as I shook my arm free and began to type something in my wrist-strap.

"Please come back tomorrow." Jack said as I vanished. I teleported myself to my apartment as I went up and de-activated my alarm system I went into my bedroom and collapsed on my bed, finally allowing the tears that I kept bottled up to flow freely.

_My father grabbed my hand as the shooting took place around us and looked at me._

"_Ilandere you need to get out of here, they can not get hold of you. Go back to the twenty-first century and find Torchwood, there someone will take care of you I promise, keep a low profile and remember that we love you dearly!" I took hold of his hand as the tears fell down as he put on the necklace he always wore around my neck and took several things out of his pocket and put them and the necklace in mine just as our house door burst open. The machines came in as I hid under the table and looked into the eyes of my father for one last time as he typed in something on my wrist-strap and I was gone, just as I was fading, I heard his screams and knew that he was dead._

I awoke in a sweat as my breathing began to get more rapid. The nightmare, the flashback, whatever you wanted to call it haunted my dreams ever since that day happened. I looked at the clock, it was morning and I remembered the words from Jack. Did I dare go back? I mean I was where my father had told me to be and maybe Jack was the person who could take care of me? I reached up and touched the pendent that never left my neck. It was a locket, but inside it was a hologram of my family and also on the outside a light blue stone, it was a family heirloom my father said, the stone had some importance but it was something I never thought about. I went into my bathroom and began to run the water so it would be hot for me to have a shower. Once the room was steaming I got undressed and went under the shower and allowed my thoughts to wander about what had happened yesterday.

After I had finished my shower I went back into my room and picked a pair of stone blue jeans and a short cut black top. Picking up my long black coat I threw it on and grabbed my keys, phone and wallet I threw them in the front pocket of my bag. After activating the security system I went out of my apartment and down the stairs to the ground floor.

"Hey Ilandere wait up!" I heard a voice from behind me; it was my neighbor who had a crush on me and he didn't make it a secret.

"Good morning Jesse, how are you?" I asked him as I held the door open and he came to my side, it looked like he was going to work too.

"You know same old same old. How would you like to have dinner with me this evening?" He asked as I felt a presence next to me.

"She can't, she is having dinner with me." The American accent, so unmistakable, it was Jack. I looked up as he handed me a cup of coffee and I smiled my thanks as he gave me a few packets of sugar.

"Ah, I see, well maybe some other time Ilandere, well have to go to work before I am late." Jesse said as he walked off, turning and looking at Jack who glared back at him. I put the sugar in my coffee and stirred it as I then looked at Jack.

"Stalking in any century is a crime you know." I said to him as I took a sip of my coffee.

"Yeah but when you are as sexy as me you can get away with anything." He said as he grinned and I just laughed lightly.

"Worried that I wasn't going to come back Captain?" I asked him as he led me to the SUV.

"You could say something like that. Come on, I would like to take you somewhere." He said as he held open the passenger door for me and I climbed in. Doing my seat belt up I continued to drink the rest of my coffee as Jack started the car and began to drive.

"Wow Jack this is amazing!" I said as we stood on top of the roof of the Millennium Center and I looked around at the city below us. I walked up to the edge and I could see people walking around and going to work, ignoring us standing here as Jack appeared at my side. The wind blew through my hair sending it back as I closed my eyes and smiled. I have only been in this time period for about two years, but it has been long enough for me to get myself settled down, regardless of the backwards of the technology and stuff but I had my wrist-strap to help with upgrades and it worked perfectly. So far I have only upgraded personal items, my computer at home and notebook which I always carried with me and also my home security system.

"So if you are not a Time Agent, how did you get hold of one?" He said as I opened my eyes and held onto my wrist-strap.

"My brother was a Time Agent and when he quit, he modified it for me. Each member of my family had special powers, some of mine you have seen, well his was to see into the future and he knew what was going to happen so he trained me in combat, weapons, and also how to use the wrist-strap. He was one of the lucky ones and died before _they_ came." I said as tears began to fall down my eyes as the memories of my brother came back to me.

"_Come on Ilandere, we are nearly there!" I heard my brother shouting in the distance as I began to run up the mountain, gasping for breath. He stopped as we reached the top and I turned and looked down at our home town, it was amazing and the view as the suns set was breathtaking. The sky shimmered between red and purple as they set and the lights in the city began to turn on._

"_Wow Jalen this is amazing!" I said as I leaned onto my brother as he put his arm around me. He pulled me closer as I looked at him, he was five years older than me and we have always been close, but recently more so than normal. He knew that the Time Agency was after me and for this reason he quit and we had fled from them and now lived in our city for the past six years in peace._

"_Thought you would like it little sis." He said as we sat down on the grass and watched the second sun go down. "Look, I know we have been running and going through much and that I have been pushing you hard, but know this; I love you and no matter what will always be with you in spirit." He said as I looked up at him; he had short black hair and green eyes, he was at least a good foot taller than me and was well built. He hated the Time Agency and supported my fight against them to bring them down._

"_Can you not tell me what you saw?" I asked him, I knew that he had a vision about me and for this reason he was training me._

"_You know I can't do that sis, just enjoy the time we have together and know that I love you ever so much." He said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out something. "Here, I modified it and made it more suited to your taste. I hope that you will find great use for it." He said as he put the wrist-strap on my arm and I looked at him and smiled as tears fell down my eyes and I hugged him. With my brother in my arms, we watched the suns set and the sky change to night._

I wiped away the tears that had fallen down my cheek from the flashback, as I felt warmth beside me. Jack put his arm around me and pulled me closer as I allowed myself to feel somewhat safe in his embrace.

"Who were they?" He finally asked after a long period of silence.

"They were two dying breads who formed a new race, the old races were Dalek and Cyberman, the new race were called the Cyberleks, yeah I know not very original but these two were bent on one thing; destroying the human race either by extermination, enslavement or conversion. My town was the first to be hit as far as I know." I explained as I felt Jack's grasp tighten around me… he must have had some knowledge of these creatures.

"I am sorry about your family." He said and I nodded.

"The fifty-first century, oh how I miss it so much but I know that I can not go back, my father sent me here for a reason, all I need to do is find out why." I said as I looked up at Jack and he grinned at me.

"Come on; let me show you around your new workplace." He said as he reached his hand out; taking it he took me down to the plaza and then onto a paving slab… I felt a hum of energy as I smiled.

"So there is an invisibility barrier here, nice." I said as he looked at me.

"How did you know?" He asked.

"I can feel the barrier around us." I explained as he opened his wrist-strap and pressed a few buttons and the lift moved.

I looked down at the hub below us and saw Gwen who was sitting at a computer doing something as she looked up and smiled at us. When the lift stopped Jack stepped off and offered me his hand yet again which I took and nodded in thanks.

"Ilandere; welcome to Torchwood." Jack said as he showed me around. "We have an extensive server and database full of information regarding alien life and artifacts here on Earth. This is Gwen, my second in command; we have recently been re-built after the explosion a year and a half ago and Gwen has been holding the fort for the last year and a half until I came back from my trip." He said as I looked at him puzzled.

"How long have you been back?" I asked him, I had felt a pull in the timelines about a month ago and wondered if he was the reason.

"A month ago, it has only taken Gwen until this week to forgive me." He said as Gwen walked up to Jack and put her hand on his shoulder.

"First thing he did was to get rid of the people I had hired, there was nothing wrong with them Jack!" She said as she put her hands on her hips, man she was pretty; her black hair shone under the light and she had the perfect figure; one I would more than likely kill for.

"They were not good enough!" He said as he led me to a workstation.

"And she is?" She asked as she pointed to me… fair question I had no anger towards her. Jack looked at me and I looked at him confused as I tried to reach into his mind… there was nothing… kinda like with me.

"Ilandere would you be so kind as to give Gwen a demonstration of how I know you are good enough?" He asked and I let out a sigh as I shrugged. I held out my hand as I levitated a folder that was on her desk to me and opened it and read a bit about it… it was a report on the recent rift activity; Gwen looked at me and gasped. "Does that help answer your question Gwen? And no she hasn't told me why she can do this stuff but trust me, she is perfect." He said as he walked towards the empty workstation; I handed Gwen her folder as he paused and waited for me. I followed him and he typed something on the computer. "Right, we need a retinal scan, blood sample and also finger print." He said as he began to type some more. "Say cheese." He said as I turned and smiled as my picture was taken and my information was entered into the database. I bent to show my eye for the scan and put my thumb on the pad for my finger print… now for the blood. I looked at him as he smiled. "Not going to promise I can hit anything first time, we are still looking for a doctor but so far we haven't found anyone." He said as he led me to the medic bay down a few stairs.

I looked around and saw that there were several cubby holes, I assumed for dead people and also an autopsy table… now I was wondering what the hell I was getting myself into.

"What happened to the other doctor then?" I asked as I took off my jacket, I saw Jack's shoulders lower; I must have touched another sensitive subject.

"This job kills people; no one lives to old age when you work for Torchwood." He said and I nodded as he got a torque and began to look for a vein.

"Yeah, I guess that is a danger of the job, but the excitement makes up for that I guess." I said as he found a vein and took a few blood samples.

"Once you enter Torchwood you can't leave." Gwen said as I looked up at her and she smiled at me. "I came to make sure that Jack hasn't butchered your arm." She said as she walked down the steps and took the blood samples from Jack as she put them in a tube rack and then in the fridge. "We have had a call from the hospital and they wanted us to look into something." She said as she put her hand on Jack's shoulder and he nodded. "Maybe this time if you find the right doctors you won't scare them away." She added as she walked up the steps and Jack snorted.

"He passed out his first alien autopsy, some doctor he would have made. His life is better after taking the Retcon." Jack said as he put a plaster on the site he had just removed the needle. I stood up, feeling a bit queasy but I was curious why they were not examining my blood. I grabbed my jacket and followed Jack up the stairs; he threw me a communicator as I looked at him and snorted.

"Technically I don't need one but whatever." I said as I put it in my ear.

"You can read thoughts and talk to people via your mind." Jack said, again this was not a question it was a statement. "I felt you around in my head a while back." He said and I blushed… busted! "Don't do that again." He said and I nodded as Gwen looked at me.

"Don't worry, I didn't read your thoughts and I won't, promise." I said and she let out a sigh of relieve.

"You are off to UHW, there in the accidents and emergency area a female has been admitted with something strange where they need our opinion." Gwen said as Jack grabbed his coat and then my hand as he dragged me to the area where the SUV was parked.


	2. Finding a new doctor and alien encounter

Hiya, here is chapter two, please read and review… remember don't own Torchwood, that is RTD and the BBCs proerty!

**Chapter Two: Finding a new doctor and alien encounters**

Jack sped down the streets of Cardiff as all of the traffic lights turned green. I activated the computer in front of me and took out my notebook and hooked it up to the database, allowing me to access the Torchwood server.

"This is such primitive technology." I muttered as I hack into the database and the GPS system of the car. "Really need to upgrade Jack; that was way too easy!" I said as I pulled the data I needed to remotely access the hub's database at home, I activated my security blocks on my notebook so that no one but me could access this area of my computer and smiled at him as he pulled into the A&E area. Pulling out his sunglasses he looked at me.

"You ready?" He asked as I closed my notebook and put it in my bag, nodding as he put on his sunglasses and left the car. I undid my seatbelt as Jack went into the boot to get something and I got out following behind Jack. He had an air of authority around him as he walked into the building and people moved to the side, I wished that I could pull it off but I knew that I did not have enough self confidence to do that. He walked up to the counter and leaned on it, a nurse appeared.

"May I help you sir?" She asked as Jack dipped down his sunglasses and looked at her name badge and then smiled his charming smile at her.

"My name is Captain Jack Harkness and this is my partner Ilandere Starr. We are from Special Ops. We were called over to see something Gemma." He said as she blushed still from her smile. "Would you be a sweetheart and tell us where we need to go?" He asked and she giggled, yuck gross he was flirting. She nodded as she picked up a folder and then led us to a room from A&E. I looked in and saw a woman, no older than thirty lie on a bed… it looked like she was sleeping. Jack took the folder that Gemma had and began to read it and nodded. "Would you please fetch her doctor, we will be in the room." He said and she nodded as Jack opened the door and walked in.

Jack put the case from the boot on the table as I closed the blinds. He pulled out a device, a portable x-ray machine.

"Nice, haven't seen one of them since my last medic bay visit." I said as he began to scan her body. He reached her head and saw something. I went over and looked at the display, there was something eating her brain. "Gross." I said as I pulled out my notebook and began to access the database again to see if I could find anything.

"No need, I have seen this before, but for it to put her in a coma must be some different kind of race." Jack said as he pressed his communicator. "Gwen, how is the clean room looking?" He asked and I heard her snort.

"Clean Jack, like always." I heard her say. "What kind of stupid question is that?" She asked him.

"We are going to have a little operation, let's just hope that this woman's doctor will be understanding and help us." He said as there was a knock at the door and it opened to reveal a male doctor. He must be in his late twenties as looked at me and Jack.

"I am glad you could make it." He said as he pulled out the x-ray images of her brain, same to the ones we had just done. "She came to us this morning and then passed out. We realized she was in a coma and scans of her brain have shown this." He said as he put the backlight on and we could see the images.

"Has anyone else seen these?" Jack asked and the doctor shook his head.

"Do you really think that people would believe it even if they saw it?" He asked… touché. I looked at the doctor; he was cute and looked to be in shape. He had short brown hair and was at least a foot and a half taller than me. Jack turned and looked at me and I shrugged.

"We have a clean room back at our base and we need to get her there, but we also need your help if you think you are up to it?" Jack asked him and he nodded right away.

"If it can save her life then I am prepared to do anything, she is my cousin after all." He said and Jack looked at me and I shook my head, I knew what he wanted me to do, read his mind. Jack let out a sigh as we got the patient ready and the doctor carried her to the back of the SUV. He sat down with her head on his lap and began to stroke her head as I climbed into the passenger side again.

"Gwen make the lights green and get out the suits, we are brining her in." He said into the communicator as I pressed it.

"No need to worry about the lights Gwen, I can do that from the SUV." I said as Jack turned and smiled at me. "Sorry, am somewhat of gadget freak." I muttered as he started the SUV and drove.

I looked over in the back to make sure everything was okay.

"My name is Ilandere Starr, different I know, may I ask for yours?" I asked the doctor as he looked up at me and smiled.

"Dr Raphael Scott." He said as he nodded at me and I put on a smile at him as I turned back and saw that we were already at the hub. Opening the door to the car I climbed out and then looked into the peep hole for the retinal scan. I heard the door click and opened it as Raphael brought in his cousin inside as Jack went in behind them and I followed. Jack went in front and led us to a room off the corridor that led to the hub. Gwen was already in the room in a suit as he took the girl from Raphael's arms and took her onto the bed that was in a tent. She went into an airlock as an air shower quickly took place and then she went in and placed the girl on the bed. Jack had led Raphael to get a suit and then looked at me.

"Come on, we are going to need you in there too." He said and I nodded as Jack handed me a suit and I put my bag down. Taking off my trainers I put the suit on over my clothing and walked into the shower part of the chamber. Covering my ears I allowed the air shower to blow onto the suit and then went into the main part of the clean room. Gwen had hooked the girl up to heart monitor and a blood pressure monitor as Jack and Raphael came in.

"What is her name?" Gwen asked and I looked at Raphael as he checked her vitals.

"Lucy, she is thirty years old, came in today with headaches just as I was finishing my shift, even though I told her I would check on her at home she said the pain was unbearable and then she just lost consciousness and that was when I knew something was wrong. After I did the scans I called the police and told them what I found and was patched through to you." He explained and I nodded. I looked at Jack; I knew what he wanted to do; cut her open.

"Last time we saw an alien parasite of this kind it killed its host and when it was discovered and her head was opened up it released a toxin that knocked all of the people in the room out, hence why we are here in a clean room and also in these suits. Do you think you are up for brain surgery Dr Scott?" Jack asked him and I could see him physically gulp as he slowly nodded. "Wonderful, shall we begin?" Jack said as he clapped his hands together and pulled over a trolley.

Removing the cover I could see that there was all of the necessary equipment needed for an operation as Jack pulled me to the side. "Do you think you can take control of the creature's brain like you did with the weevil yesterday?" He asked; now it was my turn to gulp.

"I… I can try Jack but I won't know until I touch its brain and even then I am not sure if I can control it." I said as he put his hands on my shoulders, even through the suit my body felt like it was electrically charged… was I falling for Jack?

"I have faith in you and know you can do this." He said in a low voice to me and again I gulped and then nodded. I went over as Raphael was getting ready to make the incision.

"Wait just for a minute please." I said as I went behind her and bent down to her level. I put my hands on the side of her head just a few inches away and then closed my eyes and began to reach out. I could feel the two presences, Lucy and the creature. Lucy was calling to me and I turned to her and smiled.

_**I am here to help, please do not be afraid.**_I said to her as she looked at me and the nodded. _**Good, please keep quiet, I need to talk to the other thing here in your mind.**_ I said to her and then I felt her presence ebbing away; allowing me to focus on the one I came for. The creature was happy, and when it felt me it kinda got curious. I pulled at it; it was a simple mind just like the weevil, all it wanted was to survive. I pulled on this thought and made it think that nothing was happening as I nodded slowly.

"Jack I have it, do it now." I said as I felt myself being moved back so that Raphael could operate. I never once opened my eyes as I heard the humming of the saw and it hitting the bone. I could feel Lucy's presence knocking onto my mind; I let out a groan I was not sure how long I could hold this. _**Lucy we are trying to help you. I need to focus, please do not worry, your cousin is here operating on you and you will be fine I promise. **_I said to her and I felt her unease as she backed away, I concentrated on the creature that was still unaware of what was happening.

"Okay, we are in; I can see the creature." I heard Raphael's voice in the room, but to me it sounded like he could have been miles away for all I knew.

"Okay, Gwen can you get the containment unit. We need to do this quickly; I don't think she can keep the ruse up much longer." I heard Jack's voice in the distance. I heard movement as the creature still concentrated on its meal. I could hear something being done and then for all I knew hours must have passed before I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"You can let go now." Jack said as I tried to pull back. The creature felt the coldness of the glass box on it and began to get angry. It released a gas that had no effect on anyone as I pulled away and then saw nothing but darkness.

"_Bet you can't catch me Shaylee!" I shouted as I began to run in the open field, my little sister following me as I tumbled in the long grass and she came up to me and fell next to me. My sister changed into her feline form as she began to purr and leap on my stomach, I began to stroke her as she began to get comfy. "Do you think that Jalen will be home soon?" I asked her as she opened up her mind to me and I read her answer and smiled. "Yeah the Time Agency is keeping him away for a long time this time… but when he is back I am sure we can all play together." I said and she meowed in response as she began to close her eyes and sleep. I stroked my sister absentmindedly as the clouds in the sky began to appear… but they were not clouds… it was a shuttle of some kind. It landed near us and I sat up, moving my sister to the ground where she changed back to her human form; for me watching her change was a beautiful process as she stood up next to me. I recognized the markings of the shuttle, it was our brother! We ran to where it landed and waited for the doors to open as he stood out._

"_Ilandere we need to get you out of here, they are after you." He said as he pushed me into the shuttle. "Shaylee, go home and tell mom and dad that I have taken Ilandere somewhere safe, I will be back in a day and take them there too I promise." He said; I quickly hugged my sister and kissed her._

"_Be a big brave girl for me." I said as she began to cry. "I love you Shaylee, now run, like the wind!" I said as she nodded and changed into a cat again and ran home._

I could hear beeping in the distance as I slowly opened my eyes. I felt something warm holding my right hand as I looked to the side and saw Jack sitting there, his head was lowered as I reached over and touched him.

"Thank the stars you are awake!" He said as he looked up at me and smiled. "How are you feeling?" He asked as I tried to take in my surroundings. There were a few beds and I knew then I must be in the medical room of the hub.

"Like I went a round with a boxer and lost." I said and he laughed.

"Well, you didn't lose and Lucy is going to be fine." Jack said as he pointed to the bed on my left. I looked over and saw her lying there as Raphael was checking her vitals. He came over to me and smiled as he began to check mine.

"Thank you for saving her. I know that you had a huge role to play in this somehow." He said and I smiled weakly.

"Just tell me when I can get out of here." I said and he laughed.

"You need rest, you have exhausted yourself." He said and I nodded, I could do that at home as he unhooked me from the machines. "Besides that you are fine, well your blood was a bit strange if I may be honest but after what I have seen today, nothing can surprise me anymore." He said as I began to sit up and sway a bit. Jack was standing at my side in an instance.

"Worried about me were you Jack?" I asked him and he smiled.

"Can't have my dinner date being sick tonight now can I?" He asked and this time I blushed. We heard a moan and I rushed to Lucy's side as I took her hand and she opened her eyes and looked at me.

"You were in my dream." She said and I laughed and smiled.

"I am in a lot of people's dreams, did it help you?" I asked her and she nodded. "You are going to be fine; thanks to your cousin." I said and she turned and saw Raphael at her side.

"He is not the only one I should thank." She said as she turned to me and smiled. "Thank you for what you did." She said and again I smiled.

"I didn't do anything; now rest you have to get better soon." I said as I stood up and left the medical room.

Tears fell down my cheek as the flashback about my sister came back to me, I missed her so much. I looked around and then went towards the main part of the hub. My jacket and bag were next to the workstation that Jack was on this morning as I went up to it and sat down, Gwen came up to me and gave me a bottle of water.

"Thanks, how long was I out?" I asked her.

"Several hours, how are you feeling?" She asked as I reached into my bag for some pain killers.

"Well, besides the monster headache pretty good." I said as I took one out of the bottle and popped it in my mouth, taking a swig of water I swallowed it and looked at her.

"Well, I am going home; Rhys will be worried about me; I just wanted to make sure you were okay before I left." She said as she squeezed my shoulder and I smiled at her.

"Thank you, have a nice night." I said as she nodded and went to get her coat. I heard the siren go and knew that she had left the hub. I put my head on the desk hoping that the cold wood would sooth my headache. In the distance there were coming closer as I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Well it is technically too late for us to go out for dinner, but what do you fancy; pizza or Chinese." The voice said as I turned and looked at a smiling Jack who had two fast food menus in his hand.

"Chinese please." I said as I reached for the menu and Jack moved his arm away. "That was so not funny!" I said as I lifted my head and tried again, and once again Jack moved it. I stood up and began to chase him around the hub. "Jack cut this out it isn't funny!" I said as he stopped abruptly and I ran right into him. He wrapped his arms around me as my breath got caught up in my throat. I looked up at Jack and gulped; my body filling with heat as he looked down at me and into my eyes.

"You have amazing eyes, so you are part Aloean too." He said and I nodded, that was where the purple hair and eyes had come from. "They were always such a pretty race, no wings?" He asked and I shook my head. "Shame, but still with your powers maybe they will grow later." He said as he head came closer to mine. I held my breath as he came closer and then we heard footsteps; I jumped out of Jack's embrace as if I had been burnt and grabbed the menu from him as Raphael came into the hub.

"Not a bad set up you have here." He said as he came towards us. "So what are we doing for dinner?" He asked as he walked up to me and grabbed the menu.

"Hey I was not finished with that!" I said as I held out my hand and levitated it over to me. Raphael looked at me in shock and then smiled as I took it from the air and looked at it; Jack came back and handed me a fresh bottle of water.

"Oh that's right; you haven't had the grand tour, and as for you… well let's see if you would like to do this for me." He said to Raphael as he signaled for him to follow. They went down in the med bay as I heard a drawer open and a sound coming which sounded like someone saying 'cool'. Jack came back up the stairs happy as he walked over to him. "Looks like we have a new doctor… I like him!" Jack said as he took the menu from me.

"Yeah, I can tell you do…" I said; if he really was from the fifty-first century then he had a sex drive like crazy.

"I resent any evil thoughts you have in your head!" Jack shouted as I laughed and went back to my workstation.

"Food is here!" Jack said an hour later as I looked up from my workstation; I was reading about the aliens that were in the database and decided to update it a bit.

"Great I am starving!" A voice came from the autopsy bay; I completely forgot he was still here. We went over to the table as Jack began to unpack and handed us the boxes of food. We began to open them, take our own and sit down to eat.

"Don't you think you should talk to Gwen before allowing me to join the team?" Raphael asked Jack.

"No way, she is my second in command… what did you find?" He asked as Raphael smiled and looked at him.

"The species has two stomachs… I mean seriously he looks human but I have never seen that, it is so cool, but that is not what interested me most of all." He said as he stood up and left for the autopsy bay and Jack smiled at me.

"Tomorrow evening; you and I; so you better make yourself prettier than you are now." He said to me and winked as I blushed at him. Raphael came back with an object in his hand and my eyes went wide.

"No way… one of these can't be on this planet?" I said as I took it from his hand.

"Well she obviously knows what it is." Raphael said to Jack as he stood up and came to me. I took the sphere in my hands and began to press a few of the buttons as it opened up and revealed a gem. Jack and Raphael looked over my shoulder and gasped at it.

"That is the most beautiful gem I have seen." Jack said as he looked at it; it was a pink clear cut diamond, well that is what it looked like, in fact it wasn't; it was something more deadly.

"Yeah and now if only it was that. This gem is one of the most powerful explosives from the planet Trycur; we need to keep this locked up; in the wrong hands it could more than likely wipe out a planet." I said as I closed the sphere and then threw it to Jack. "Don't drop it Captain." I said as I winked at him and went back to the sofa and ate the food. Jack and Raphael looked at each other and shrugged, Jack went into his office I guess to lock it up as Raphael joined me on the sofa and ate.

"So you know quite a bit about this alien stuff." He said as he ate his fried noodles.

"Yeah well I guess you could say that." I said as I took my sweet and sour chicken and continued eating. Jack joined us about ten minutes later. Raphael excused himself as he went to check on his cousin and I put my empty food cartoons down.

"Man I am going to have to train for a week to get rid of that!" I said as I picked up a bottle of water and began to drink.

"You can always use the training room we have here." Jack said as I looked at him. "Oh right, I still haven't showed you around; well my lady, may I?" He said as he held out his arm and I laughed as I nodded and he helped me stand up and we went down the hallway.

"The hub has several floors, as you have seen the main part, autopsy bay, clean room and medical bay; all of which are fully stocked with current medical supplies and also with other equipment like you saw in the hospital. Here we have the changing rooms and shower rooms, you can pick yourself a locker." He said as he pointed at a door and then opened it so I could look in. I saw it was like a normal changing room as in a school or something. I closed the door and we continued. "Next door we have the training room and next to that the shooting range." He said as he pointed to the other two doors we went pass. "Most of the rooms on the left hand side are the archive rooms, filled with anything that comes through the rift." He said as we continued. Jack pointed out rooms and took me to the lower levels, showing me the interrogation room and also the cells, along with his personal pet Janet… I sat in front of her and tired to reach out with my mind; wanting to make sense of these creatures. Jack watched me as I began to go pale before he put his hand on my shoulder and I looked up at him. "It is time for you to go home." He said and I nodded.

"I want to check on Lucy one last time." I said as he nodded and we went to the medical bay. Lucy was asleep as Raphael sat beside her and was holding her hand. He looked up and smiled at us as Lucy's eyes begun to flutter awake.

"Hey." She said as she smiled at me and I walked up to her bed.

"Hey, I just wanted to make sure you were okay before I head home." I said as I reached out and held her hand.

"I am feeling weak but fine. My cousin said he is giving me a blood transfusion and that he will watch me for the night and then tomorrow I will be transferred to a different ward." She said and I nodded as I looked at Jack. I kinda understood what was going to happen, she was going to get some Retcon and then wake up back in the hospital and not know anything about the whole event.

"Raphael I am just going to drive Ilandere home, don't you dare touch anything while I am gone… well you can continue that autopsy for me." Jack said as he flashed him a smile. I squeezed Lucy's hand once more.

"It was nice to meet you." I said.

"I can never forget you or thank you." She said and I put on a fake smile as I walked away with Jack behind me.

"You will forget me; you can not remember anything that has happened." I muttered as Jack opened the door for me and we went into the hallway. "I understand the reasons behind it and everything; do you think it is really safe to leave Raphael alone here?" I asked as we went to my workstation and grabbed my stuff and then to the SUV and I got in.

"Don't worry; everything is password so he couldn't do anything even if he tried."

The drive back to my place was quick and I undid my seatbelt and looked at Jack and smiled.

"Thanks for the ride home." I said as I picked up my bag and looked for my keys. "I will see you tomorrow then Captain." I said as I opened the door; I felt a hand grab my arm as I turned to look at Jack, his eyes shone under the small light that was on in the car. He leaned forward and kissed me on my cheek ever so lightly, but it was enough to warm my whole body. I had not had anyone get close to me since I came to this time period; I was too scared and felt out of place that I didn't know what to expect. I blushed as Jack pulled me into the car and put his other hand under my chin and raise my head to his. He moved closer; yes I wanted to kiss this person but he was my boss! He lips were an inch away from mine as I lowered my head. "I… I can't; I'm sorry!" I said as I freed myself from his grasp and ran to my apartment building door, opening it and running up the stairs to my apartment, leaving a stunned Jack in the SUV. I opened the door to my apartment and disabled the security system. I gasped for breath as I fell to my knees and began to cry for reasons unknown.


	3. Autopsies and Dates

Hiya, here is chapter two, please read and review… remember don't own Torchwood, that is RTD and the BBCs proerty!

**Chapter Three: Autopsies and Dates**

I hit my alarm as it went off and stretched in my bed. I slowly opened my eyes as memories of yesterday came back to me. I got out of bed and changed into my training gear and put my hair up. Grabbing my iPod (it was just two small headphones that fit in my ears, took it with me from my home since it was in my pocket) I put them in my ears and went out of the apartment and outside. After a few minutes of stretching I began my morning run. I ran into Roath Park and ran around the lake, smiling at other runners as I went past them. Once I had done the park I paused and grabbed the bottle of water that was on my belt and drank it as I sat down to watch the sun rise; yes it was that early. I felt my phone vibrating as I reached into my pouch and took it out, I had a new text. I opened it and read one word 'torchwood'. I let out a sigh as I began the long run back to my apartment. Once I got in and had a quick shower I got dressed in my black jeans, boots and also a purple t-shirt. Putting my jacket on and throwing my phone and keys in my bag I activated my alarm as I typed in something in my wrist-band and teleported to the hub.

"You rang?" I said as I stood behind Jack, he physically jumped as he turned to see me.

"You never think of coming in the normal way?" He asked and I shook my head.

"You wanted me here; I had to stop my run, have a quick shower and get changed; so what's up boss?" I asked as he walked past me and I followed.

"I wanted you to be there with us as we take Lucy back to the hospital. Raphael has rung in advance and gotten her a bed on a ward so everything is ready." He said as he went into the medical bay and I followed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small case. When he opened it I could see that it contained white pills. Lucy was sitting up and Raphael looked at me somewhat sad; I guess Jack told him what we had to do.

"Hey Lucy, we have to give you this pill; it will help you relax during your journey back to the hospital." Jack said as he handed her the pill and put it in the water. "You need to drink all of it so that we can get you ready." He said and she nodded; I guess it was easier to believe a lie if you were sick. I watched her drink it and soon she was asleep. Raphael picked her up as Jack and I went to the SUV. Once we were all in; Jack drove her back to UHW and I went with Raphael as we took her to her ward and bed. He placed her in it and I held her hand one last time.

"She won't remember any of this." Raphael said and I nodded.

"Make sure you stick to the cover story." I said to him and he nodded. "Guess I will see you back at the hub?" I asked him and again he nodded as I left the ward.

Jack was standing with his arms crossed and sunglasses on; it was extremely warm weather for this time of year… summer was coming to an end and normally it was colder. He leaned against the SUV as I came out and looked at him.

"Gwen is at the hub; she said something about some weevil activity down at the warehouses again, you wanna go hunting?" He asked and I smiled at him and nodded.

"Sounds like weevil season!" I said as he smiled and I walked around the front of the SUV and went into the passenger side. Jack got in and started the SUV and drove off to the same location as before.

After a morning of weevil hunting (we managed to get three) we headed back to the hub where Gwen was getting impatient.

"Jack, when can I get back out on the field?" She asked and he smiled.

"Tomorrow Gwen; if anything happens I am sure we can leave the hub for a few hours alone." Jack said as a voice came up from the autopsy bay.

"I can take care of it." Raphael said as he came up the stairs. "Anyway Jack I need to show you something else about our friend." He began as he looked at me.

"I need to shower, go on ahead." I said and Jack shook his head.

"No way, need to see if your stomach is up to this." He said as he pulled my hand and Gwen followed behind and shrugged.

"You seen one dead body you seen them all." She said as we went down into the autopsy bay. Now don't get me wrong I have seen a dead body before but one cut open… nope! I looked at the body that was so carefully opened up in front of me and swallowed the bile that was rising in my throat as Raphael pointed to the stomach… at least I thought it was.

"The second stomach is artificial; this means there was no real purpose for it. It is used as a kinda hiding pouch for the race to hide things, like the sphere from last night." He said as he smiled "but that is not all… Look here." He said as he pointed to his lungs and heart as Jack peered closer.

"I see nothing wrong with them." He said and Raphael grinned.

"To the naked eye they look normal right, but check this out." He said as he opened them; they were made of metal and I gasped. Jack smiled at Raphael and then turned to Gwen who nodded.

"Welcome to Torchwood." He said as Jack patted him on the back and then looked at me as I turned and shook my head.

"This guy fell through the rift?" I asked and Jack nodded. "When you are done can I have the full report on my desk?" I asked Raphael who looked at Jack and nodded. I excused myself and walked to the changing rooms.

I let the hot water fall down my back as I closed my eyes; tears fell down my cheek as memories came folding back.

"_He was half made of metal; as if someone tried to make him into a robot." Jalen said to me as he explained his adventures with the Time Agency. "The problem is no one knows who or what is doing this; they seem to take people from towns in the night but not people who would be noticed as missing and when we find them, they are dead." He said as I pulled my legs up to my chest._

"_What does this mean Jalen? Are we in any danger?" I asked him and he smiled._

"_This is several galaxies away from us; we still have time to figure it out." He said as he ruffled my hair and I let out a moan._

"_But Jalen, what if you are wrong, what if they are closer than we think?" I asked as he moved the blanket to let me get in my bed._

"_The Doctor will help us; now that we have brought down the corrupt Time Agency, the government can establish a better way to protect us. Now sleep little sis, tomorrow is another day." He said as he kissed my head. I grabbed my bear and settled down in the blanket._

"_Goodnight big bro." I said as he stroked my head._

"_Goodnight little sis, I love you." He whispered as I entered the world of dreams._

"No, this can not be happening." I whispered as I began to give in to my feelings, curling down on the cold tiled floor of the shower cabin wishing for once I could go back home to my family and have died with them.

"Ilandere, are you okay?" A male voice called into the shower room; it was Jack. I stood up and quickly turned off the shower and grabbed a towel.

"I am fine Jack, please don't come in!" I said as I grabbed a second towel and wrapped my hair in it. I opened the door to the cabin and saw Jack sitting on the bench where my bag lay. He looked at me and could tell I had been crying.

"What is wrong?" He asked and I shook my head.

"Nothing Jack, everything is fine." I said as I went over and opened my locker, only for my wrist to be grasped gently by Jack.

"You have to open up sometime." He said and I looked at him.

"Like you have done Jack?" I asked him and he let go of my wrist.

"Gwen… they would not understand where I am coming from…" He said as I paused and looked at him again.

"Then you understand why I can not open up to you." I said and he let out a sigh.

"Maybe tonight you may change your mind." He said as he kissed me lightly on the cheek and left. I stood in shock as I raised my hand to where Jack had just kissed me and frowned… what had he meant by his comment?

I went to my workstation and saw a folder on my desk as Gwen walked up to me.

"The autopsy report, what you looking for?" She asked as she sat down beside me as I activated my workstation.

"I am looking for clues, something that can maybe help me out." I said as I turned to her. "Has Jack told you anything about his past?" I asked her and she snorted.

"You mean our fearless Captain… yeah right!" She said as she looked puzzled at me. "Why do you ask?" She said and I shook my head.

"No reason, was just wondering is all." I said as I returned to the report, she shrugged and went back to her place. The rest of the day passed in silence as I read through the report five times and could see nothing that would help me out. I let out a loud sigh as I put the file on my desk and turned to my computer. I went into the database and began to search for information about the Dalek and Cyberman races.

"Gwen, Raphael, Ilandere, go home since everything seems so quiet." Jack said as he came down the stairs from his office and looked at me. I closed my search; I could do it at home as I packed my notebook and grabbed my jacket and went with Gwen to the door. We both walked out of the tourist information office and into the open bay.

"So what you going to do with you free time?" She asked and I shrugged. "Better go home to Rhys and my daughter." She said as she got her keys out of her pocket. "You want a ride?" She asked and I shook my head.

"No thank you, the walk is about forty-five minutes but I can do with the exercise." I said and she nodded as she waved goodbye. I heard the door open behind me as Raphael came out.

"Well I am off to see Lucy, see you tomorrow." He said and I nodded as he walked away. Putting my hands in my pocket I began the walk back home, all of the time thinking about the stories my brother would tell me and what Raphael found today during his autopsy.

I opened the door to my apartment and disabled the alarm. Throwing my keys on the breakfast bar and my bag next to it I sat down on the stool and sighed. I went into my bag and took out my notebook. Turning it on I put the kettle on to make myself a cup of peppermint tea. My notebook beeped as I used my wrist-band to enter my password and it sprung to life as the Torchwood database opened before me. I put my thumb on my mouse pad (it doubled as a finger print scanner) as the notebook then beeped again. "Database search, races Dalek and Cyberman." I said as the notebook once again beeped and began to work. The kettle popped signaling that it had finished boiling as I poured the water into a cup I had prepared as there was a knock at the door… oh man I just wanted some peace. I looked through the peep hole and saw my neighbor there. I opened the door and smiled at him. "Hi Jesse, what can I do for you?" I asked as he smiled at me.

"Ilandere, would you like to join me for a coffee?" He asked, man this guy never gave up.

"I'm sorry but I can't; I am working from home at the moment and really need to get it finished. Maybe some other time okay?" I said, not waiting for his response I closed the door and sighed. I looked at my watch; it was five o'clock and I assumed that Jack would be picking me up in a few hours. I checked my notebook and saw it need some time as I took my cup and went into my bedroom to see what I could wear for tonight. Something in my head reminded me of what my father had told me; had given me before I died and I knew it belonged to Jack. I went under my bed and grabbed the shoe box I had hidden there and pulled it out. Sitting on my bed and brushing my jeans down from the light dust from the dust bunnies under the bed I opened the box and saw all of the little things I had brought with me which were in my pockets from my home. I took out the ball that was glowing and looked into the swirling silver pattern that moved inside… grabbing the ball tightly in my hand I held it to my heart and let out a loud sigh. Opening my eyes I put the ball on my bed and then put the box back under my bed and went to my wardrobe.

I pulled out my orange dress and looked for my shoes that matched and pulled them out too. I threw off my clothes into my washing basket as I slid into the dress. It went down to the ground and hugged my figure in all of the right places. The straps were pretty thick but I knew I would need a coat as I looked in my wardrobe for my smart short black jacket. I found it and put it on my bed as the notebook beeped. I went into the kitchen and grabbed it, taking it into the bedroom as I began to do my hair.

"Computer read information on Dalek race." I said as the notebook then began to read the information to me as I brushed my hair and started to put it up; keeping my purple highlights down I twisted the hair onto the top of my head and pined it up. Once the computer finished about the Dalek I asked it the same for the Cyberman; this was shorter than the Dalek, but there was something of great interest to me… a cyber-conversion unit; there was one in the hub. I paused in putting on my make-up when I heard this and asked the computer to bring up the camera images of the hub archives.

"Access denied." The computer said to me as I hit the table.

"Override protocol Torchwood Starr access code 48367." I said to the computer who tried to process the request.

"Access denied." The computer said to me and I growled… Jack. I let out a sigh; it would have to wait until tomorrow it appeared. I sprayed some of my favorite perfume; it was the closest I could find to the one I wore at home and then sat on my bed and put on my shoes just as the door rang. I looked at the time, it was seven o'clock; I have never spent two hours getting ready for anything in my life. I went up to the internal phone and saw him on the screen from the camera downstairs.

"Can I help you Captain?" I asked him as he flashed his smile into the camera.

"Well, you can either let me in but that might mean we never leave the apartment or come down to me, what is it gonna be?" He asked and I smiled.

"I will be down in a second." I said as I grabbed my small bag I had prepared and quickly turned off my notebook and grabbing my jacket from my bed. Activating the alarm I went out of my apartment and made my way down the stairs to the front of the apartment block.

I stepped out looking at the ground as Jack turned to face me.

"Wow… you look amazing." He said as I looked up at him and blushed, he handed me a rose and put it in my hair as I looked at him.

"Not too shabby yourself Captain." I said, he was dressed in a black suit and tie; yes I could have died and I would have been happy. He held out his arm and I took it as he led me to the SUV waiting there for us.

"Sorry, no other car; but it does give us great parking privileges." He said and I laughed as he opened the door and held out his hand to let me in.

"Thank you Captain." I said as I sat down and he kissed my hand sending tingles down my spine.

"Please, call me Jack." He said and I blushed as he closed the door and went around to the driver's side.

"So where are we off to then Jack?" I asked and he smiled.

"If I told you then it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?" He asked and I blushed… what was wrong with me? Was I blushing over my boss! "So tell me, how did you get rid of the Time Agency?" He asked and my face fell… that was a story I did not want to recollect, but he was really interested in it so I began to think back.

"_Come on Jalen, we are nearly done." I said as we walked down the corridor; this was the part I hated about the Time Agency… they had a habit of wiping people's memories to use it as blackmail in order to get them to co-operate with what they had them to do. Jalen was behind me in a second along with the other Time Agents we had saved from the memory wiping._

"_We are nearly there, you ready?" My brother asked and I nodded. "Good, remember we do this and then a lot of people will be free." He said as him and his team went and opened the door; there stood before us the head of the Time Agency as I rushed in and held out my hand to stop him and took control of his mind. I feel to my knees as he tried to fight back; but no kind of mental preparation could prepare him from the assault I gave him._

_**You will reveal the truth to the public and disband the Time Agency, giving people who are still alive all of their memories back. **__I said in his head as he let out a moan as sweat began to pour down my forehead._

_**You are making a mistake in doing this; we may be corrupt but we are the best that the world has.**__ He said to me and I shook my head._

_**No; you are not; the Doctor has shown us the way and will be there when we need him; this is written in the stars.**__ I replied as he began to back down and I took control of his mind._

"_Now Jalen, before I lose control please." I said as Jalen went and cuffed him and I fell to my hands as I released him. "He knows what he has to do, activate the live feed." I said as the others set up the camera and it began rolling as the head of the Time Agency began his speech. I gave into the darkness that awaited me._

"Some rebel I turned out to be; passing out as the head of the Time Agency was announcing the disbandment of the agency and also that he would return all of the memories to everyone. Oh that reminds me, I have something for you." I said as I reached into my bag and took out the ball I had taken out of my box this afternoon. "When we were looking through the memory spheres my brother told me that I needed to take this one and that in time I would know who to return it to." I said as I opened my hands and he looked over while stopping at the red traffic light. The ball glowed and the silver swirled around as Jack looked at me.

"Is that…" He said and I nodded.

"This is the memories that the Time Agency stole from you." I said as I saw the light turn green and the person behind us beep his horn. Jack stopped starring at the ball and drove, pulling into a parking space as soon as he could and then looked at me again.

"Are you telling me the truth?" He asked and I pouted.

"You know that when my people tell a lie my eyes turn red and orange and red do not go well together." I said to him as he looked at me and then again at the ball. I held my hands out and gave it to him. "All you need to do, when you are ready of course is to hold it to your forehead and the ball will do the rest." I said to him as he took the ball delicately in his hands and I watched it glow brighter as it recognized it was back with its 'owner'; I knew then that I was right. Jack put the ball in his pocket and looked at me.

"I… don't know what to say." He said and I laughed.

"The fearless Captain Jack Harkness is lost for words. How about thank you and let's eat?" I asked him and he smiled as he nodded and began to drive to wherever he was taking me to.

Jack pulled into a parking space on the bay as I looked out and saw a cruise liner sitting there; it wasn't that big; it was one of those ships that would serve you a meal, music and cruise around the bay and the sea a bit for the evening… it was something I always wanted to do but it was too expensive for me and was more a couple thing. Jack got out of the car and came to my side; opening the door he held out his hand and I took it as he helped me down, I stumbled slightly in my heels (I was not used to wearing them) as Jack caught me in his arms… my breath hitched into my throat as he smiled down at me.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" He asked me and I blushed as he bent down and kissed me lightly on the lips. It was almost enough to send me over the edge; I had to keep my feelings in check as Jack pulled away and I blushed even deeper than before. Jack put his arm around me and pulled me close as he closed the door to the SUV and led me onto the ship.

"Captain Jack, such a pleasure to have you and your guest on board. The table you requested is ready sir, we set sail in an hour, would you care to see the wine list?" The host asked him as he guided us to a table next to the window; I could see the whole of the bay and also the lights of the city beyond as Jack pulled out my chair, taking my coat he helped me sit down and pushed the chair in and I looked up at him and smiled.

"Would you like some wine?" Jack asked me; I shook my head, I was not such a big drinker. "No wine list thank you Frank, please bring us a bottle of sparkling water and also the menu." He said and the host bowed and left us alone. I looked up at Jack who was looking at me and I blushed. "How do you like this century then?" He asked and I smiled.

"The technology is a bit backwards, but I am making modifications and I will get by. I have a few things from my home that help me get through when I am home-sick, but I wish I could be there but I know that there is nothing left for me now." I said as Jack looked up at the host who had come back and handed us the menu as I nodded my thanks and looked at the prices… I was right that I could have never afforded this place. I looked up worried at Jack who just grinned at me and reached out and took my hand.

"This is on me; I can always write it off as a business dinner." He said as he winked at me and I looked at the food once again; most of which I had never heard of. After we placed our orders and our drinks came Jack looked at me as I starred out of the window.

"So why did you come to this century?" He asked and I let out a sigh as I kept my glaze outside.

"My father said I was supposed to be here, to do something. My brother knew it was going to happen and he trained me as much as he could so that when the time came I would be ready. But ready for what; I just don't understand. When you stopped me from jumping I could feel your aura and knew that…" I stopped, could I really reveal everything to him. Jack let out a sigh; I couldn't, not without anything in return, any sign of trust, of something there.

"When the Time Agency stole my memories I became a con-man, flogging anything I found to the highest bidder in order to get by, that was before I met the Doctor; he turned my life around and after an incident at satellite five I came back and waited a long time for him; but he never came… well that is until a few years ago. I kept myself busy, changing Torchwood for the better and waiting for him; monitoring the rift for him since I knew he had to come back to re-fuel sometime. So many people I have loved and known have died, so much has happened and events that I could not control." He said as I turned to him, a hint of sadness entered his voice.

"I know what it is like to watch people around you die." I said as I reached out and touched his hand ever so lightly. Jack looked at me as he took my hand in his; I could feel his pulse racing… who am I trying to kid… so was mine! "It is kinda a curse I have to live with." I whispered to myself as Jack looked up at me puzzled.

"What did you say?" He asked and I shook my head and blushed.

"Nothing; I said nothing." I said as I turned to face the window so he could not see my eyes turn red.

A silence engulfed us, but it was a comfortable one. The food came as we began to eat the ship began to move away from the docks and I looked out at the window as we moved away from the bay. I looked in the window and saw my eyes had finally turned back to being purple as I looked at Jack.

"You lied to me." He said, no question it was a statement. "You said something but you won't tell me what you said." He mentioned as I looked into his eyes.

"I am not sure I can trust you with my secrets, not all of them, not so fast Jack." I said as he looked into my eyes and nodded. We finished eating as music outside began to play as he stood up and held out his hand.

"Would you like to dance?" He asked and I looked at him; at his hand and took it as he helped me stand up he led me outside and put my arm on his waist as he did the same to me and we began to dance to the band playing. I rested my head on Jack's shoulder as he pulled me closer and I closed my eyes and listened to the beating of Jack's heart as the music faded into the distance.

_**You know he is the one right?**_ A voice said in my head; my brother was reaching out to me from the other plain… my family never left each other even after death but so far my brother had been the only one to reach out to speak to me. _**Everyone misses you sis, they wish for once that they had your ability.**_ He continued and I let out a sigh as I felt Jack move his arm more around my waist.

_**It isn't exactly what I would call perfect Jalen; I can't open up to him and he is scared of opening up to me… any idea what I am supposed to do in this century?**_ I asked him and I felt his love radiate to me.

_**Sorry sis, you know my powers do not work on this plain, this is in fact all I can do… weird huh.**_He said as I felt him fading _**you will know when the time is right.**_ He said as he left and I heard a splash and a woman scream.

"Man Overboard!" I heard someone shout as I pushed myself away from Jack and went to her. She was sobbing uncontrollably and I didn't hesitate as I climbed the railings and dived into the freezing waters below.

The darkness and coldness engulfed me and now I wished I was not so foolish and brought a torch or something. I swam down as I could see the faint outline of a body below as I took in another breath as my lungs filled with water; this person wanted to kill himself and yet I was risking my life to get to him… but there was a difference. I swam down faster as I grabbed his arm and then put my mouth on his and breathed the little air I had left in my lungs to his as I pushed myself to the surface. My lungs filled with water once again as I broke the surface and gasped for air; it was not enough as darkness engulfed me. I hated this part; it was a place between life and death… I hated waiting until the water was out of my lungs and as they began to resuscitate me; I felt a pull and I opened my eyes to see Jack as I began to cough up the water and took in a deep breath.

"Thank you; you saved his life!" The woman said to me as she looked at her husband who was shivering. He was being taken somewhere; I assumed to get out of his wet clothes and dried as Jack picked me up.

"Please allow me to show you to a room for her." The host said as Jack nodded and took me below deck. Once we were in the room Jack laid me on the bed and began to get my dress off and wrap me in towels. He gave the dress to the female person who was standing there who went to get it washed and dried. Jack pulled me to him and hugged me.

"You had no pulse; I checked in several places while the crew members did CPR on you and there was nothing for at least a minute." He said to me and I nodded. "And yet you survived… how?" He asked as my eyes began to feel heavy and I moved closer to Jack; my defenses were lowered and I was too weak to object to my mind telling him not to tell him this secret… but it now looked like I had no choice.

"I can not die." I whispered in a low voice as I finally gave into the darkness that was calling me back.

Jack paused; did he hear her correctly? Did she say that she could not die? He looked down at the woman he had in his arms as saw that she had fallen asleep. He lifted her up gently and put her on the bed; removing the blankets he placed her under and covered her up; hoping that she would wake up soon. Jack went to the window that was in the room as there was a knock at the door. He went and opened it and saw the woman standing there.

"Is she okay?" She asked and Jack smiled and nodded.

"She is asleep but she will be fine." He said as the woman breathed a sigh of relieve.

"I can not thank her enough for saving my husband's life. I wish there was something I could do for her." She said and Jack shook her head.

"All she needs now is rest and to get warm. I wish your husband the best." Jack said as he closed the door and went back to the bed. He stroked her head and realized that she was someone that he could open up to. He heard her moan as he smiled down at her and kissed her on the head.

"Some date this turned out to be huh?" He said to her as he sat down next to her. He reached into his pocket and felt the ball in his hand. "You have done so much for me and yet I can do so little in return." He said as he took the ball out and put it to his forehead. A light filled the room as the memories he had missing were finally replaced. Once the light dimmed he looked at the ball and saw it was empty and tears began to fall down his cheeks as he re-lived his missing two years.

I moaned as I began to slowly re-open my eyes and the memories of what I did came back to me. I looked and saw Jack standing at the window with an empty ball in his hand; he had restored his memories. I turned and saw that my dress was hanging up as I stood up and took the blanket to cover the fact I had no clothes on. Taking the dress I went into the bathroom and put it back on. I took my hair down and ran the comb that was in my bag through it and sighed; I had told Jack my deepest secret… I didn't know what to do. I let out another sigh as there was a knock at the door.

"Ilandere are you okay? Come out so I can check on you." Jack's voice rang through the bathroom as I unlocked the door and opened it. Looking up at Jack I saw him smile, this time I couldn't keep my feelings in check as I did blush and very deep. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close and hugged me as I laughed.

"Jack if this is your idea of making sure I am okay it isn't very effective." I said as I stood in his embrace. He pulled away and looked into my eyes.

"Yes you are right about that." He said as he raised my chin to his face as I looked deeper into his brown eyes as he came closer and pressed his lips lightly on mine; as if scared I was an illusion or would run away. When he pulled away he smiled at me as he kissed me once again, this time I reacted with him as his lips touched mine and then his mouth opened slightly. Jack pulled away again and my heart was pounding in my chest, he pulled he closer and hugged me; something told me that he was afraid to let go; I was part of the life he knew and he needed me; and I guess that in some way… I needed him too.


	4. Facing reality

**Chapter Four: Facing reality**

The atmosphere in the office between me and Jack for the past two days was somewhat slightly uneasy. Jack had tried to talk to me about that date in private but I always made some excuse not to go into his office and I made sure that Gwen went with him on the field as I stayed in the hub with Raphael.

"Okay, spill." Raphael said on the second day as Gwen and Jack were out checking on some rift activity that was happening near the stadium.

"I have no idea what you mean." I said to the doctor who came up to my workstation as I tracked the movements of the SUV.

"Liar, the atmosphere between you and Jack the last couple of days has made me and Gwen worried that something happened so spill." He said as I typed in something on the computer.

"Sorry Raph, no way." I said as I pressed my communicator. "Okay guys you are there, keep all lines open." I said as I heard Gwen confirm and turned to Raphael. "Anything else or you gonna finish that autopsy?" I asked him and he smiled.

"I have already finished doing that." He said and I smiled.

"Great, you keep tracks on them two while I need to go look at something." I said as I grabbed my notebook and put it under my arm and left Raphael going to his workstation.

I walked down the corridor and into one of the archive rooms in the lower levels of the hub. Going to the back of the room I saw the door I was looking for and opened my wrist-strap. I hooked it up to the code and soon it was hacked and the door clicked open. I pushed it as I walked into the dark room; taking the torch out of my pocket I went in as I switched it on. I found the light switch in the room and flicked it on; lighting the whole room. I turned off my torch… there was no real need for one when I had one as I gasped at the stuff I saw. I put my notebook on the table as I opened it to keep track of Gwen and Jack as I went over to the conversion unit and touched it.

"Ilandere, give us an update, we have found one of the items, where is the second one?" Jack's voice rung through the headset as I looked at my notebook… it was moving; this meant someone else might have it or it was a creature.

"It is on the move, about a mile west of your current location." I said into the headset as I typed something into the computer. "I think I can slow it down but I am not so sure." I continued as my hands flew over the keys and I pressed the return key into the computer; hoping that my plan worked. The light stopped moving and I smiled. "You guys better get over there fast, if it is a creature it is going to climb," I said as I heard a groan from Gwen and then nothing as they terminated communications with us. I went up to the computer that controlled the whole conversion unit and tried to turn it on… nothing happened… Jack must have disabled it when the cyberwoman was found. I read the report; people do crazy things when they are in love. I bent down and looked at the wiring; it was fried, there was no way I was going to get this back online in the time that Jack and Gwen were out. I activated the camera on my notebook as I walked around and filmed the room and close-up of things that were of interest. Once I was done I saved it on my hard drive and password it so that only I could access it as my headset beeped again.

"We got it and are on our way back to the hub." Gwen said and I closed my notebook, turned off the lights and re-activated the door code and returned to the upper part of the hub. I looked over at Raphael who had his feet up against his workstation.

"You know computers are not my thing Ilandere." He said and I giggled as I opened my notebook and hooked it back up to its power supply as I went to make myself a cup of tea.

Jack and Gwen walked into the hub a bit wet (it was raining) and looking somewhat worse for wear as Jack threw the control to the SUV to Raphael.

"Got a friend for you in the boot; take Ilandere with you to help." He said as Raphael removed his legs from the desk and caught the small remote on the key-ring. I stood up and followed Raphael to the SUV as he pressed the button and the boot opened. I took one breath and thought I was going to puke.

"Gross!" I said as he went into the boot and saw that there was a creature lying there with its eyes closed. I reached into its mind and saw that it was drugged with sleeping meds so there was no need for me to take control of it. I nodded to Raphael as he lifted the creature over his shoulders and we made our way down to the cells. Once Raphael put it on the bench in the cell he left as I grabbed a chair and sat down to watch it. It was small and from what I could see light. It had translucent skin but you could not see the creature's organs, the skin seemed to shimmer a slivery sheen to it. Its face looked human if it was not for the hair; it was not hair, it looked like snakes but I could see no faces on them. I heard footsteps as I turned to see Jack coming in through the main door.

"So watching through the CCTV connection wasn't enough for you Captain?" I asked him as I turned back to the creature.

"That is more than likely the most words you have ever said to me in the last few days when not talking through the communicators." He said and I shrugged at him; he was right I wasn't talking to Jack; I was not sure how I was supposed to respond to him, act around him… ever since the incident on the ship I could not trust myself to be with him alone… unsure of what he would say or do to me. "Do you know what it is?" He asked me and again I shrugged; I could not read its mind when it was in such an induced state. I stood up and walked past Jack only for him to grab my arm. "We need to talk about it sooner or later Ilandere." He said to me in a low voice.

"I am sorry Captain but I have some work to do." I said as I looked up at him as tears began to fill my eyes… why the hell was I running away from him… I guess it was like everything I ever do. I felt his grip loosen as he nodded and I walked out of the cell block and to my workstation. Gwen put a cup of tea that I was preparing earlier on my table and leaned on my desk.

"You wanna talk about it." She said as I typed in my access code and unlocked my computer.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you." I said to her as I took the cup in my hands and nodded my thanks.

"You would be surprise as to how much I would believe." She said; I knew she was trying to reach out but she was human… not that I held any prejudices or anything like that… I was just pretty sure she wouldn't understand. I let out a sigh as I grabbed my coat and put it on. "I am going out for some fresh air." I said as she nodded and I locked my computer again and stood up; I saw Jack briefly as I left the hub through the main door.

"What the hell has happened Jack?" Gwen asked as Ilandere went out of the hub.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Jack said as he walked past his second in command and went into his office, Gwen was hot on his heels as she walked in behind him and he sat at his desk.

"Like hell you don't; ever since two days ago Ilandere has been afraid to go anywhere with you, I have been going on missions with you while she has been in the hub with Raphael and when you try to talk to her she never says anything or very few words before walking in the opposite direction to you so something has happened and if it is affecting the team I want to know." She said as she put her hands on his desk and rested them there.

"Is it affecting the team Gwen? No everything is working the way it should. Ilandere does her job and she does it very well so as far as I am concerned it is none of your business." Jack said to her. "She is more use in the hub with the technology than she is on the field anyway." He said as he turned and logged onto his computer.

"That is a lie and we both know it Jack, She is amazing not only with technology but her abilities on the field and knowledge regarding alien artifacts and creatures suppress maybe your own! She is updating the archive, gotten many things to work, and updating the databases with aliens we never knew existed. She is also in the process of upgrading our security system not only in the hub but also on the server. She works hard to avoid you and you keep yourself busy by going on the field with me or in your office; just like when Tosh and Owen died. Jack if something happened you need to reach out and tell her, if you can't open up to me at least I can see you want to do that with Ilandere; please do not throw your chance at maybe being in love again down the gutter." She said as she walked out of Jack's office and left him to think about all of the information she had just given him.

I walked out of the tourist information office and towards the water edge of the bay allowing the rain to soak me through.

"Ilandere what are you doing here?" I heard a voice as I let out a sigh; it was Jesse. "You are going to get soaked without an umbrella, here come under mine!" He said as he walked towards me and put his umbrella over my head.

"Thanks Jesse, what are you doing here anyway?" I asked him and he smiled.

"I had a business lunch in the Millennium Center today, how about you?" He asked.

"My office is near here, I just stepped out to get some fresh air and to get away from the computer screen." I said as he smiled.

"Yeah I can guess that sitting in front of a computer all day long might drive you crazy!" He said as he laughed and I just chuckled back.

"I am sorry Jesse but not to sound rude or anything I just need to be alone right now." I said as I looked at him and he coughed and nodded.

"Oh yes, of course, sorry. I have to go back in now anyway since I have another meeting." He said as he looked at his watch. "Here you can take this so you don't get wet." He said as he handed me his umbrella and he ran the short distance back to the Millennium Center. I continued my walk to the water edge and watched the rain drops land onto the murky water as I rested my arms on the railing and put my head on them and sighed.

"A penny for your thoughts," I heard an American voice say behind me; there was no need for me to turn around since I knew it was Jack. He walked up and stood beside me as I looked at him starring out to the bay and beyond; he was getting wet so I straightened up and reached up, covering him with my umbrella. "When I was stuck on satellite five; I was lucky that my wrist-strap had enough power to get me back to Earth… right planet just wrong century. I came back in the Victorian times. The first time I realized I could not die was when I had drunken so much alcohol it was enough to kill a person but I just lived. I was discovered shall we say by the people who were at that time in charge of Torchwood… I disagreed with a lot of their methods but when I was told I had to wait for the Doctor to come back and that it would take a century I needed to keep myself busy. I took on other assignments from them until they passed on and a new team was established… it went on like that for a long time until Torchwood was finally left to me; it was now my chance to turn it around; and I did." He said as I looked at him while he told his story. "I have seen friends and lovers all die around me and I thought that if I was to open up to someone that there would be no point, they would die in the end." He turned to look down at me and reached out; taking my hand that was holding the umbrella in his. "But you are different; you are like me; in a way we are the two sides of the same coin. I am not going to say it is going to be easy; I know that I am more than likely one of the most reluctant person to open up to anyone but with you… we need to face reality… what do you think?" He said as I looked at him in his brown eyes and saw a spark of some kind there. What did I think? Even I was not sure what I wanted… could I really do this?

"I need time to think Jack." I said as I turned away. "I am going to take a few personal days off; I will return and hopefully then I will have everything sorted." I said as I handed him the umbrella and stood up on my tip toes and kissed him on the cheek. I pressed a few buttons on my wrist-strap and teleported into the hub. Shutting down my workstation I looked over at Gwen who appeared to look guilty; she must have seen our interaction via CCTV. I shut down and packed my personal computer and put my bag on my shoulders. Smiling at Gwen I typed in my code for my apartment and teleported back home.

I lay in bed; it was the second day I had taken off and still I was confused more than ever. I was logged on the Torchwood server and continuing my upgrades while I was at home; I just could not bear to be in the hub. Every time I closed my eyes the date kept playing over in my head; me jumping into the water, me dying once again, Jack undressing me and me telling him my darkest secret and then me teleporting myself home after we kissed. I opened my locket and the hologram of my family projected in front of me; my sister changing between her feline form and her human form, my mom and dad hugging each other and my brother waving at me and pulling faces. I let a tear fall down my cheek as I saw them there looking at me. They had no future and in order for me to have one I had to live in the past. I wanted to go home, to go back to my century but I knew that if I was caught then that was the end… what the hell did I need to do in this time period! Closing the locket the hologram faded as I reached up and touched the stone on the outside of the case. I turned on my side and went back to the upgrades I was making; I had disabled my messenger but they knew how to reach me; well Jack did anyway if he really needed me. I continued working as my computer beeped; rift spike. I went into the rift monitoring software and saw that there was a small spike in rift activity near the bay… oh well it was close enough for them to take care of it without me then I thought as I went back to the upgrades and sighed. Finishing off the upgrade I closed my notebook and lay back down on my back as I heard a knock at my door.

"Go away!" I shouted as I grabbed my bathrobe and put it on as the person knocked again. "I said go away!" I said as I opened the door to see Gwen standing there. "Gwen, what do you want?" I asked her as she looked at me; I was wearing blue hello kitty pajamas and my blue bathrobe with stars on it and she smiled.

"May I come in?" She asked and I sighed as I opened the door and she came in. She sat down on the stool to the breakfast bar as I put the kettle on.

"Would you like some instant coffee?" I asked her and she shook her head.

"I can't stay long; if Jack finds out I was here he would kill me for meddling. Look, Jack has already told me that it is none of my business and I know that you are more than likely going to say the same but hear me out. If Jack is willing to open up to someone and that person is you, for whatever reason you are running or hiding from I would ignore them; this will never happen again and for Jack to want to confine in someone is something you should take. I don't know what happened and I don't know why he picked you but he did." She said as I crossed my arms and looked at her.

"You want to know why he picked me and not you." I said to her, not a question it was a statement. "I didn't need to read your mind to see that, it is clearly written on your face. Okay sure fine if you really want to know… I am from the fifty-first century; my father sent me back in time; why I do not know I have not figured that part out yet. I am half human and half alien hence the things I can do and also another thing… I can't die. There, now if I have satisfied your curiosity I would ask you to leave so that I can continue the upgrades to the hub's security system and be left to my thoughts." I said as I walked to the door and opened it; Gwen looked at me shocked but nodded as she left my apartment. Closing the door behind her I slid down to the floor; brought my knees up to my chest and cried.

Two more days passed and I awoke on the fifth day thinking that it was time for me to face facts; Jack was right… what Jalen had said on our date should have made it clear to me but I chose not to listen to my brother… I missed my family so much. I got out of bed and showered. Wrapping the towel around my hair and another around my body I went into my bedroom and picked out some black jeans, my boots and also my purple top that I liked so much. Putting them on and drying my hair I grabbed my notebook as I quickly checked the activity in the hub and rift and then closed it and put it in my bag. Grabbing my keys and phone and putting them in the pocket I went out of my apartment and out of the apartment block. I rubbed my hands together as a cold wind from the west blew past and I got out my gloves and put them on as I began the walk to the bay while pressing play on my earpiece to listen to my music.

The hub was quiet… too quiet… I looked at the time and then realized how early I was. I let out a sigh as I went to my workstation, turned on my computer, took out my ear pieces and then went to make myself a cup of tea as I heard a door open. I turned and saw Jack coming out of his office and he smiled as he looked at me.

"I thought I heard someone moving around," he said and I grinned as I looked at him.

"I am sorry to wake you Captain." I said as I began to make him a cup of coffee with the machine. I handed it to him as I waited for my kettle to boil. He nodded his thanks as he sat down on the sofa behind me.

"I have told Gwen and Raphael to have the morning off… we had a rift spike yesterday evening." He said and I nodded.

"I know; I saw it when I was working on the upgrades to the security system." I said to him and he nodded; there was no look of surprise on his face… he had assumed that I continued working from home. I poured the water from the kettle that had finished boiling into my cup and sat down next to Jack. I looked up at him as he looked around the hub and then at me. I let out a sigh as I looked at him in the eyes. "Look Jack I have been thinking a lot about everything… I can understand that you feel connected to me since I am from the same time period as you but I think that is all it is for you; I am just someone who you can connect to… if you had some real feelings for me Jack something would have told me that you would have not allowed me to stay at home for four days." I said as he shook his head.

"You are wrong on so many things." He said as he put his cup down on the table and then pulled me to him; closing the gap that we had between us and pressed his lips hard on mine. I tensed at first but then relaxed in the kiss as Jack put his arm around my waist and his other around my neck and through my hair. I let out a small gasp as he opened his mouth slightly and ran his tongue on my lips. I opened my mouth as I allowed his tongue entrance as it began to explore; running it over my teeth and then biting my lip slightly as he pulled away. I pulled back as I gasped for breath and looked into Jack's eyes. "Does that answer your questions?" He asked as he smiled at me and I blushed. "Or do you need any further clarification?" He asked as he stroked my cheek with his hand. I closed my eyes as my body shivered to his touch and I heard him laugh.

"Jack isn't this going too fast? I mean look at everything… you have known me for a week now, you stopped me from jumping into the bay, drove me around in an SUV and at the same time showed me to a world that I was hoping to avoid. Telling you and showing you who I am, what I am is a mistake." I said as I stood up and walked away from Jack; only to have him grab my hand.

"Ilandere don't think that and don't say that," he said as he stood up to face me, "if I didn't stop you from jumping what would you have accomplished? Just for a few moments of peace before being pulled back to the world of the living where nothing would have changed. Showing me what you could do, controlling the weevil and your computer talents are all skills that I would have needed to know sooner or later for you to join us. Showing me so quickly means that you must have felt something, you must have trusted me." He continued to say as I turned to face him. "Returning the missing two years of my life is a gift I can never repay you for," he mentioned, so this was why he was doing it! "And no I am not doing this because of that; I am doing this because it is how I feel in my heart and because it is something I know to be right. I know you know this too deep down inside Ilandere; you just need to close your eyes and look." He said as he let go of my hand and walked away. I heard him going up his stairs to his office as the tears I had done so well to hold back finally flooded over. I ran out of the main part of the hub and down to the cell blocks where our new prisoner is being kept.

I wiped my eyes and pulled up a chair as the creature looked at me and began to sing a song as beautiful as I opened up my heart to it; the creature's song changed from happiness to sorrow and then the tempo changed making it faster. I opened my eyes and reached into the creature's mind as I tried to talk with it.

_**You just want to go home too?**_ I asked it and it nodded _**what is you name? **_ I asked and the creature reached out and touched my mind _**my name is Gin**_ it said to me and I smiled. _**I can tell you are hurting but he does not lie. I have been watching him when he comes to talk to me and he is hurting and scared that he has pushed you away.**_ She said to me through her song and I smiled; I was getting advice from an alien that we had prisoner.

_**Thank you for your advice. I am sorry for the conditions of your current situation; I will work on getting you home with your help of course.**_ I said as I heard her sing a happy tune.

_**Fix my device; a few parts have been coming through recently. Here is the main part.**_ She said as she reached out from under the coat she was wearing and showed me a part of her device. I opened the cell door and she gave it to me as I closed it and she smiled. _**Go to him; he needs you just as much as you need him although you may not see it yet.**_ She said as she sat back down on the bench and I nodded as I went out of the cell area and back to the main part of the hub. I went into the archives and gathered the four pieces we found and also the last piece that Jack and Gwen found when they picked up Gin and went to the soldering workstation nearby.

I looked up at Jack's office; his blinds were closed as I put the pieces on the work bench I took a deep breath and walked up the stairs. I knocked on the door to his office and waited for him to say that I could come in. After hearing footsteps he opened the door and I looked up at him, "I closed my eyes and had a look," I said to him as he crossed his arms and waited for me to continue. "Every time I get close to a person they die and the last thing I want is to hurt you." I said as fast as I could that Jack had to wait a few seconds before processing the information.

"You can't hurt me since I can not die," he said and I let out a sigh.

"There are other ways to hurt a person than just physically," I commented and he nodded and then it was his turn to let out a sigh.

"So where does this leave us?" He asked, valid question… one I was sure I could answer for him.

"I can show you better than telling you with empty words." I whispered as I stood up on my tip toes and kissed him lightly on the lips. Jack's arms released his tension as he wrapped them around my waist and pulled me closer to him as I felt him let out a sigh as I gently pulled away and rested my head against his chest. I could feel his heart beating faster than normal as I smiled and closed my eyes. Jack picked me up as I let out a giggle and took me in his office. Kicking his door closed I opened my eyes and hit him gently.

"Jack put me down I have to do some work!" I said and he grinned at me as he lay me on his sofa and bent down to me; moving my hair out of my face and kissed me on the forehead.

"I am sure your boss won't mind if you take a break." He said as he began to kiss my neck and I shivered.

"I am sure he won't but I need to get this device fixed so that we can send our guest home." I whispered as I let out a small whimper; I had never had a man kiss my neck before and I realized that it began to make me feel things that I never felt before. I closed my eyes as Jack began to work his way back to my face, kissing my forehead, nose, one cheek and then the other before he kissed me lightly on the lips. "Jack I need to fix the device; I promised her." I whispered as he pulled away and I slowly opened my eyes, shattering any illusion that I had in my head; he reached out and stroked my cheek and grinned at me.

"Of course, I'm sorry, please, go right ahead." He said as he held out his hand and helped me sit up and then stand up. I went over to the door and turned to see Jack walk behind his desk. I went over to him and kissed him once more lightly on the lips and then swaying my hips I walked out of the office, feeling his gaze upon my hips as I left.

Gwen and Raphael walked into the hub just gone midday as I looked up from my soldering. Lifting up the pair of safety goggles the pair walked up towards me and I smiled.

"What are you doing?" Raphael asked.

"I am fixing something so that our guest in the cells can go home." I said as I put the soldering iron down and pressed a few buttons and the device began to light up.

"How did you get it to do that?" Gwen asked and I smiled.

"If I told you that then all of the magic would be gone." I said as I smiled; there were still a few things that needed doing but it was basically finished.

"Where is Jack?" Gwen asked as she went to her workstation.

"In his office and has been all morning." I said as I returned to my soldering. "No rift activity and so far no phone call from the hospitals or police; looks like we are in for a quiet day." I said as I continued my work. Raphael went into the autopsy bay to do whatever he does while Gwen went to make herself a cup of coffee. I heard Jack's office door open as he poked his head out and saw Gwen on the machine.

"Gwen make us one will you?" He said as he came out of his office and down into the main part of the hub.

"Make it yourself you lazy bugger." She said as she walked away and went to her workstation… okay so maybe Gwen hadn't forgiven Jack for leaving for so long. I went back to work as I pressed a few more buttons and a song began to sing in my head. I groaned in pain as I pressed another button and I turned it off as Raphael came to my side.

"Are you alright?" He asked and I nodded.

"I am fine, just the fumes from soldering… how did you get here so fast?" I asked him as I knew my eyes had turned red and he smiled.

"I am a doctor and at your side when you are in need, you sure you are okay?" He asked as he put his hand on my shoulder and I nodded; the song had stopped when I hit the button and the headache was subsiding. I sat down on the chair behind me and put my head on the desk as I closed my eyes and felt Raphael's hand move as footsteps came closer. I felt another hand on my back this time but I knew it was Jack.

"What happened?" He asked as he gently lifted my head up as a light was shone into my eyes from Raphael. I let out a groan as I let him quickly examine me and then stepped back.

"Nothing; I was just fixing the device and the fumes must have gotten to me." I said as my eyes turned a deeper shade of red and Jack smiled.

"You know I don't need a lie detector to know that you are lying." He said and I sighed as I nodded… stupid eyes…

"I pressed a button and a song filled my head causing me some pain." I said and he nodded as my eyes turned back to purple. "I think I fixed it now so Gin can go home." I continued as I picked up the device from the table as tried to stand; only to sway and fall into Jack's arms. He held onto me as he helped me stand and I smiled at him. Holding on to the device Jack looked at me and flashed his charming smile at me.

"Where you want to go my lady?" He asked and I blushed.

"To the cells to send our friend home," I said and he nodded as he held onto me and took me there. Gwen looked at Raphael and smiled.

"Looks like they sorted everything out," she said and Raphael nodded.

I looked at Gin in our cells and smiled as she began to sing a happy song

_**You managed to fix it, for this I can never thank you. Please accept my small gift. **_ She said as she reached inside her jacket and pulled something out, I looked at Jack who raised his eyebrow.

"I thought it was Torchwood protocol to search all aliens?" I asked and he nodded.

"I did and I found nothing on it... I mean her," he said and I giggled as Gin told me something in my head, "what's so funny?" Jack asked and I shook my head.

"Nothing Jack its okay," I said as I opened the cell door and gave her the device I fixed. She pressed a few buttons as a beautiful song filled my head as she handed me a small rock and I smiled at her, nodding my thanks to her. Pressing another button she vanished from the hub; the song slowly fading from my mind. I looked at Jack and smiled as I held my hand open and saw the rock in my hand; it matched the stone that was on my locket. I looked up at Jack in surprise as I took off my locket and looked at the rock. As the two came closer they began to glow a lighter blue and I gasped as Jack rubbed his chin in thought. He grinned at me and wrapped his arm around me and led me out of the cell area and to the main part of the hub. I put the rock in my pocket and went to my workstation as Jack followed me.

"Where did you get the locket?" He asked.

"My father gave it to me; he said that the stone was a family heirloom and that it would be able to help me here somehow." I said as I fingered the locket in my hand. Jack held his hand out and I looked at him for a second, this was the only connection I had to my family, was I sure I wanted to share it with him. I shook my head as I put the locket back around my neck and Jack looked at me and nodded and went to his office. Gwen walked up to me and smiled.

"So you and Jack patched things up?" She asked and I nodded. "Why does he want your necklace?" She asked and I looked up at her.

"You know Jack, he wants to know everything and see everything," I said as I reached up and touched my locket "but this is something that I can not show him or anyone just yet," I continued and Gwen nodded at me as she walked back to her place and began to type something on her computer.

I went down into the archives and began to look through the stuff that they had stored. Picking up a few pieces I began to fiddle with them and found out that it was junk. Sighing I put them back on the shelf as I turned to have a look on the other shelf behind me. I picked up a small disc which began to hum in my hand. I raised my eyebrow as I pressed a few buttons on it and it lit up. The light went into a beam as an image appeared on the disc.

"If you are seeing this, then I can thank the stars that you are alive and have found Torchwood. I am not sure what year you are in and what events have happened but know this; everything is changing, I know you can feel it. You have more than likely seen the first events beginning to take place, and I hope that you can…" the image began to fade as words became distorted and then the light went, I hit the shelf where I found the disc and began to slid down as the tears began to fall down my face… it was like déjà vu; I had just seen my brother… and then I knew how the disc got here.


	5. Upgrades, findings and the Torchwood

**Chapter Five: Upgrades, findings and the Torchwood Asylum program**

I don't know how long I stayed huddled in a ball in the archives, all I remember is the coldness of the disc as it sat in my hand.

"Ilandere are you in here?" a voice said through the room; I heard footsteps approach as I looked up and saw Gwen looking down at me, my eyes full of unshed tears, my expression must have said it all to her as her face fell and she sat down next to me and took me in her arms; for some strange reason I felt safe, like nothing could hurt me as I began to sob harder than before. It must have been a further ten minutes before I was able to bring my feelings under control, as I began to calm down, Gwen pushed me away from her and handed me a tissue from her pocket, I muttered a thanks as I took it and then blew my nose and dried my eyes.

"You wanna tell me what got you so upset?" she asked me as I opened up my hand where the disc was enclosed and handed it to her, "I have never seen that before, but then again there are a lot of things here I haven't seen," she said as she began to look at it and then handed it back to me.

"It is a comm. disc, these are common from my time, I am surprised that Jack didn't know what it was," I said as I put it in my pocket.

"Could you get it to work?" Gwen asked, I nodded as new tears threatened to spill, Gwen must have seen this as she smiled and stood up, holding her hand out for me "come on, let's get you something hot to drink huh?" she said and I nodded as I took her hand and she led me to the main part of the hub.

Gwen led me to the sofa and then left me there as I put my hand in my pocket and began to finger the disc as Raphael came up from the autopsy bay with a box and something inside them.

"Hey Ilandere, I have been looking for you, what do you think of these?" he asked as he handed me the box. I looked into them and saw small metal round button things and smiled, I knew what they were and there was enough for us to have, all I needed was to upgrade some of the hubs systems.

"These are great, where did you find them?" I asked him as he sat down next to me and moved closer.

"These were in a box on a shelf in the medical bay, not sure anyone knew what they were for," he said as Gwen came back and handed me a cup, I took in the smell and knew that she had made me a hot chocolate, as she then handed Raphael a cup of coffee and then put her own on the table and sat down next to Raphael as I picked one of the metal 'buttons' out of the box.

"So are you gonna tell us or leave us guessing?" Gwen said and I laughed as I put my cup of hot chocolate on the table, Raphael looked at my cup and then let out a sound which sounded like a whine as he turned to Gwen.

"Why does she get hot chocolate and I get coffee?" he asked as I remembered why Gwen had made me the special drink and my face fell, Raphael saw Gwen's angry face as she hit him on the arm and he looked at my face, tears building up in my eyes again as he coughed and picked up his cup and left, Gwen took the chance to move closer and put her arm around me to hug me.

"Men can be jerks, now cheer up and tell me what they are for huh?" she said as I looked up at her and smiled.

"These are communication devices and trackers, these are really cool. If I can get the right programming these could replace our mobile phones," I said as I put one of the metal buttons between my thumb and finger, holding it in place and rising it up to the light to check the circuitry inside… not that I could see much. Gwen looked at me as my eyes shone at the possibilities of improving our communication system.

"So, how do they work?" she asked as I put it back in the box.

"They are inserted under the skin on the ear lobe and then you just press," I said as I put the box on the table.

I took my hot chocolate and breathed in the sweet smell before taking a sip.

"Do you want to talk about what happened in the archive?" Gwen said as I let the hot liquid slowly trickle down my throat, I shrugged in answer to her question as I took the disc out of my pocket and put it on the table.

"Hey cool, a comm. disc, where was that?" a voice said as I turned and saw Jack behind me.

"You were quiet at sneaking up to us," I said as Gwen hit him on the shoulder.

"Ouch, what was that for?" he asked as he reached over the sofa and took the comm. disc off the table.

"That was for sneaking up behind us," she said as she picked up her cup of coffee and left Jack and I alone as Jack tried to activate the disc and then let out a sigh as it defeated him.

"It is DNA coded," I said to him as I took it out of his hand and put it back in my pocket and continued to drink my hot chocolate, Jack vaulted over the back of the sofa and landed on it next to me.

"And I guess that makes it yours?" he asked as he reached into my pocket and took it out, I nodded at him as he handed it to me "then prove it," he said as I looked up at him, damn my stupid emotions, tears began to fill my eyes again as my bottom lip began to quiver. I took it from his open hand and pressed the button combination as the image of my brother appeared and began to repeat the communication from before, the image began to break again as it faded and then the disc stopped glowing. I looked at Jack as I put it in my pocket. I stood up, went to my workstation and grabbed my bag. I opened my wrist-strap and typed in the code to my apartment as I teleported home, Jack running to get me before I disappeared.

"I hope that you are happy now Jack?" Gwen screamed at him as she watched everything happen "she was getting better and then you make her do something like that? Have you really got no heart?" She said as she went up to him and stared him down, regardless that he was taller than her.

"How the hell was I supposed to know what was on that disc, you know the rules, nothing leaves the hub!" he said as he looked down at Gwen, the pair stared at each other, waiting for one of them to break.

I threw the disc on my sofa as I materialized in my apartment. I did not make it to my bed as I fell down to my knees and let out all of the bottled emotions that I had. My phone rung several times and all the time I ignored it as I let my feelings take control; problem was when I did this, my telekinetic powers also lost control; items began to fly around the apartment above my head as I looked up and began to control myself as I saw this.

_**You found the comm. disc that I left for you, I am sorry little sis **_the voice of Jalen said in my head as I stood up in shock and the items fell to the ground, one of which was a vase that broke into a hundred pieces _**if I knew it would hurt you so much I would not have done it**_ he said as I wiped my tears out of my eyes and my face.

_**It must be damaged since not the entire message played**_ I said to him as I felt him fading from me again _**how do I fix it?**_ I asked as I felt him going from me once again; I could hear him trying to tell me something but he was too far away for me to hear, I knew then that he had once again left me. Taking a few deep breathes to make sure that my emotions did not take control again I went over to the sofa and sat down; taking my bag off in the process and brining my legs up to my chest and hugged them; closing my eyes I fell into an uneasy slumber.

Knocking that sounded so far away drew me back to the land of the living, and then loud beeping as my alarm went off as my eyes shot open and I held my hand out to hold the person who had broken into my apartment away from me; my eyes focused as I saw Jack standing in the open doorway, letting out a sigh I held my hand down as I typed in the code on my wrist-strap and the alarm stopped blaring as Jack lowered his hands from his ears.

"How did you know that this apartment was mine?" I asked him as he closed the door and looked at me; he was embarrassed that the alarm had caught his break-in as I folded my arms across my chest.

"I tracked your mobile via the GPS and then with the hub's system I was able to get an exact location," he said as he held up a black PDA that I knew belonged to the hub as I let out a sigh and went into the kitchen. I put the kettle on as he followed me and sat down on the bar stool. I put a tea bag in mine as I added some instant coffee to another cup for him and I looked out of the window; it was dark so I knew that it was night-time as I looked at my watch for confirmation, the day had long rushed past.

"Not to sound rude Captain but what do you want?" I asked as the kettle clicked signaling that the water had boiled and I poured it into the cups and handed the one with coffee in over to Jack who nodded in thanks as I began to get my own cup I felt his hand around my wrist.

"I'm sorry for making you play what was on the comm. disc, I should have trusted your judgment and knowledge to know that you would not take something dangerous out of the hub," he said as he looked me in the eyes; I looked at him and nodded as he let go and I got my cup, I signaled for him to follow me as I sat on the sofa and he sat next to me.

"You find it hard to trust people, this includes me and for this reason, you will always be double guessing my judgment regardless if I know better than you," I said as I picked the comm. disc from the sofa and handed it to him, "you can take it back to the hub and I will try to repair it there and see if I can salvage any of the message left," I said as I stood up and went back into the kitchen to grab something for us to eat with the tea, all I had was a few biscuits and I put them on a plate, trying to stop the tears from falling as I felt strong hands rest on my shoulders. I let out the breath I was holding as I turned and looked up at Jack, his arms automatically went around me as he pulled me close to him as I took in his smell and felt at home. His embrace tightened around me as my arms went around his waist, I felt him kiss the top of my head as he gently held me as close as he could and I closed my eyes and relaxed in his arms. I let the steady beating of his heart calm me and control my emotions as I felt him stroke my hair.

"I really am sorry about what happened, I did not mean to make it look like I doubted your judgment," he said as he pulled me away gently "and you are right, I can not trust someone so quickly, but I hope that you will give me time to prove that I can with you," he continued as he reached into his pocket and handed me back the comm. disc, I looked down at it and then at him as he smiled his ever-so charming smile and I melted on the spot. I smiled at him as he wiped away the tears that had escaped beyond my control before kissing me lightly on the lips; leaving me hungering for some more.

"You should go before I lose all self control," I said to him as he looked at me, his eyes gleamed with mischief which I wished I could allow him to carry out but I knew that I had to stop this… at least for the moment.

"You will be in tomorrow?" he asked, not a statement, a question, to which I nodded and he looked me in the eyes for a few seconds, holding my gaze in his and then nodded briefly in confirmation. He squeezed my shoulder as he turned and left the kitchen; I heard the front door closing as I let out a sigh and made my way to my bedroom for a long deserved rest.

The following morning came and I woke up later than normal; missing my morning run, I had a shower and got dressed and headed to the hub. When I came in, I saw Gwen already at her desk; she looked somewhat drained.

"Great, now that you are here I can go home and have a shower and a few hours sleep before coming back," she said as she grabbed her bag and jacket as I looked up and saw Jack heading down the stairs coming out of his office.

"What is her problem?" I asked Jack and he shrugged.

"There was a rift spike last night, another blowfish coming through," he said as he went over to the coffee machine to make himself something to drink, I followed closely behind him.

"And then why was I not called?" I asked as he pushed a button to begin the machine.

"I thought that you would like to rest after all the excitement you had yesterday," Jack commented as he began to put coffee beans in the machine and then turned a few handles, making steam come out but also making a cup of coffee for himself.

"Thanks Jack," I said to him as he nodded and took his coffee and went back to his office. The sound of the siren rang through the hub as the door opened to reveal Raphael walking through, he looked at me and smiled as I smiled back and turned on my computer at my workstation.

I spent the most of the morning programming the software for the metal 'buttons' so that I could get them installed this afternoon. I went into the autopsy bay and saw Raphael at his workstation, reading something.

"Have you got a syringe and also the metal buttons you showed me yesterday?" I asked and he nodded as he went to get what I asked, he came up to me with several kinds of syringes and asked me which one I wanted, after I picked one, I asked for some saline and then thanked him as I returned to my workstation. I had managed to get the metal button into the syringe with some saline and was about to inject it under my earlobe when I heard footsteps coming towards me.

"What do you think you are doing?" the voice of our fearless leader rung behind me, I turned and smiled at him as I held the syringe in my hand.

"Nothing, well nothing to you at the moment, why?" I asked as I continued to hold the syringe to my earlobe.

"Are you experimenting on yourself?" He asked.

"It isn't really experimenting when you know what is going to happen," I responded as his eye brow raised and looked at me puzzled, I let out a sigh as I pushed the syringe into my earlobe and pushed the plunger down, causing the metal button to go under my skin and into the fat of my earlobe. I let out a small gasp of pain as it went in and then removed the syringe from my ear and put it on the table. I went up to my computer (Jack was in tow) and pressed my ear, activating the metal button as a small purple light began to flash on the screen, I let out a small cheer of triumph as I turned and came face-to-face with a slightly angry looking Jack who had his arms crossed.

"These are communication and tracker chips, with these we can always know where we are and no need for the headsets. Also these can not be found on a human person when searched, meaning that we will always be in touch even when one of us is in danger," I said to him as he looked at me and began to relax. "I have just finished creating the basic software, with more time I can upgrade the software in the hub and then transfer it onto the chips, these could substitute our mobile phones if I am clever enough," I said and he then smiled at me and nodded.

"So, when do the rest of us get one?" He asked.

"As soon as you want, Raph, looks like we are going to need more syringes, metal buttons and saline!" I shouted down to the autopsy bay, I saw a head poking out as he nodded and went to get the stuff I asked for as Jack came and sat down next to me.

"When I was a boy I grew up in a town near the beach, it was so nice, the two suns were setting and the mountain range was a sight considering the climate and stuff," he said and I nodded, I knew what he meant, the fifty-first century had meant that the climate was getting hotter regardless that global warming had already happened, there were still two suns in our time and there were aliens who were trying to take control of the weather control which sometimes drove us crazy.

My mind went back to the time when I was in school, learning to control my abilities, it was a school for people like me, but was a target for the time agency for recruiting.

"_How are you doing today then little one?" The voice of a strange man said behind me, I turned as fear began to show on my face and I began to shuffle away from him, he laughed, his tones were light and carefree as my back came up against the wall. He smiled down at me as he held out his hand "sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he said as he bent down to my level and held out his hand, keeping his distance from me "I just came to say hello, do you know who I am?" he asked and I shook my head as he sat down on the floor in front of me. "I am a person who works for a special company who helps your mommy and daddy pay for the nice school here," he said as I looked around and saw the teacher smiling at me as she attended to my best friend. There were only five of us in the class and we all had the same power, but somehow I was developing faster and this all at the age of seven. I looked back at the man who was also looking at our teacher as he winked at her, causing her to blush, he then smiled as he turned back to look at me. _

"_I was told to never talk to strangers," I said to the man, finally finding my voice as I studied him, he could be no older than eighteen, meaning that there must be something special about him if he was here._

"_Oh, I'm sorry, my name is Alix, what is your name?" he asked as he held out his hand to me, I looked at it puzzled as I pulled my knees up to my chest._

"_Ilandere, my name is Ilandere," I said as he smiled at me._

"Hey Ilandere, are you there? Hello?" I heard a voice saying as I blinked several times before I was able to pull my thoughts away and look at Jack.

"Sorry, I kinda had a trip down memory lane for a while there," I said as I smiled at him.

"Was it a good trip at least?" He asked as Raphael came up with the stuff I asked for.

"It was kinda strange, I was a kid in school at this boy came in, he must have been no older than eighteen and he was talking to me, I was scared of him and that is all I remember," I said as I took the syringe and began to prepare them.

"Hope that this boy wasn't any cuter than me," Jack said as I looked up at him and he winked at me causing me to blush a deep red.

"Get over yourself Jack," I heard Raphael mumble next to me as I let out a small laugh and put the syringe down and picked up a new one and prepared that.

Jack looked at me strangely as I finished preparing the last two syringes and looked at them, "okay, who wants to go first?" I asked as both of them backed away, I let out a sigh "come on, it won't hurt much!" I commented as Raphael took in a deep breath and gulped as he came up to me and turned to his side. I took his ear lobe and injected the disc and let out a small amount of air instead of screaming like I kinda did, once it was in and I had moved it into position, he pressed his lobe and a second light in green appeared on the screen.

"You set the lights to our favorite colors?" He asked and I nodded, "how did you know to do that?" he asked and I smiled.

"When you know as much as I do about computers and gadgets, you can do nearly anything. Basically when the disc is inserted, it grabs on to a piece of your DNA, encoding itself to your body. The software on the computer recognizes it and then the light appears in the color I chose in the program," I explained and he nodded impressed as I grabbed the second syringe and turned to Jack, he looked at me with somewhat a worried face as I approached him and stood up on my tip toes and whispered in his ear "let me do this and then you can have a treat," I said as I felt the heat and lust radiating off his body, warming me inside as he nodded and I injected the disc in his ear lobe. After putting it in position, he pressed the disc and a blue light appeared on his screen and he nodded in appreciation.

"So we get Gwen when she comes back in," Jack said and I nodded as I went up to the computer and began to type something in as all of a sudden the computer started to beep at me, I called up the rift monitoring software and saw that there was a rift spike taking place.

"Looks like we have to get her to meet us there," I said as I honed in on the location, Jack came up to me, his hands on my shoulders as I took in the spicy scent of his aftershave and closed my eyes. As I felt him hands move, my eyes shot open, warmth automatically leaving my body as he went to get his coat.

"Raph you should stay here, call Gwen and tell her where we are, Ilandere lets go and see what is causing this spike," he said as I nodded and grabbed my coat and bag as we went down the dark corridor and out to the SUV.

I looked up at the tall building in front of me, this used to be a top of the range apartment block, but now it looked like a run-down set of flats.

"I hate coming to SkyPoint," I heard Gwen mutter as she came up beside me "don't understand why there is so much activity at this place," she continued to say as she pulled her jacket closer to herself, I could smell her strawberry shampoo on the wind and looked over at Jack as he also smelt the same as me, a pang of jealousy went through my body. I went over to the hood of the SUV and pulled out my notebook and began to log into the base, at the same time I opened my wrist-strap and began to take some readings and then pressed my button that was in my ear.

"Hello little purple dot," I heard Raphael say on the other end of the communicator as I let out a laugh, Jack came over and watched to see what I was doing as I finished taking readings and importing them to my notebook. My fingers flew over the keys with precision as Jack put his head on my shoulder.

"Got a floor location at least, tenth floor," I said as I pointed at the plans that I had obtained from the hubs database on the building and turned to look at Jack, he winked at me as he went around the back and grabbed something out of the boot as I put my notebook away in my bag. Gwen walked towards Jack and he handed her a gun which she began to check and then put down her back in her belt as it gave me the chance to study her... I wished I had some kind of figure, something that made Jack look at me the same way I have seen him look at her. The boot slamming shut drew my thoughts back as Jack handed me a gun and then squeezed my shoulder in kind of a reassurance that he was not going anywhere.

"We better take the stairs since there is no way I am getting trapped in the lift," Gwen said and I nodded as we went into the building and began our trek.

The building looked worse on the inside than it did outside, and outside it looked bad enough! There was mould and the smell of damp but also a hint of other things, human waste, blood, I took a gulp as I tried to not imagine what had gone on in here. We walked up the stairs, watching our footing since there were holes in the stairs and made it to the tenth floor. I opened my wrist strap as I began to scan for a signal of some kind; it was the strongest at the door in the middle of the hallway on the left hand side. I tapped Jack on the shoulder and pointed him the way as he nodded, I then pointed to his ear lobe as he again nodded and pressed the button.

"Seeing old blue on the screen now, welcome Jack," Raphael's tones rang through my ear drum.

"Just keep an eye out, we are approaching the place where the energy is coming from," Jack said as Gwen looked at us both, I had forgotten that she did not have a button inserted.

"Raph, put in an ear piece in your other ear so the Gwen can hear," I said as I heard some movement as Raphael looked for his ear piece.

"Gwen, can you hear me?" His voice said a few seconds later.

"Loud and clear, looks like I missed something," she said as we moved slowly to the door of the flat where the energy was coming from.

"Rift energy is fading, the spike must be over," I heard Raphael say over the button and I looked at my wrist-strap for confirmation before nodding at Jack. When we reached the door, Jack stood near the handle as I stood at the other side and Gwen behind Jack, I knew that he didn't like this but I had to tell him something as I reached out and touched his mind _**you open the door and I will try and hold whatever came through the rift away from us if I can**_ I explained as to which he nodded and then turned to face Gwen. He held up his hand with three fingers held up, as each finger went down my heart beat became faster, and with the last finger, Jack broke the door down and we went in. I threw my hand up as I looked around and saw nothing, but the apartment looked brand new.

"This can't be right," I heard Gwen muttering under her breath, I had to agree with her there, this place was so badly run down there was no way that an apartment was still like this. I closed my eyes to see if I could feel anything as I heard footsteps, and I knew Gwen was going up to something; I reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Don't touch anything, it is an illusion, whatever is in here knows we are here," I said as my face began to pale, I was using too much of my gift.

"Can you make it come out and play?" Jack asked me as I opened my eyes and looked at him.

"I am not sure if I want to," I muttered as I took in a deep breath and prepared myself for the worse, "okay, I know you are here and we mean you no harm, we just want to help you get home," I said as the illusion began to shimmer and the room returned to normal; a boy, must have been no older than ten came out from behind the wall and looked at me. He had short brown hair and his clothes were torn, what ever happened to him it must not have been good as I saw a green liquid on the clothes and some cuts on his arms.

_**Who are you?**_ He asked me in my head.

"My name is Ilandere and I mean you no harm, what do they call you?" I asked him.

_**Why do you speak out loud when you have the same ability as me?**_ The child asked.

"This way my friends can understand me, do you have a voice?" I asked and he shook his head, "okay, how about a name?" I asked as he looked up to me, his eyes were grey and no matter how young he looked, I could see through to his soul and saw that he had been through so much.

_**Aang, they call me Aang**_ he said and I smiled as I bent down to his level and held out my hand, Aang took a step forward and reached out and touched my fingers, he touch was warm regardless that the child was obviously cold. I took off my jacket and wrapped it around him as Jack lowered his gun and came up to me.

"We should take him back to the hub to make sure he is okay," he said as I looked up at him and noddedas Aang took my hand and I led him down the stairs.

_**Where are you taking me?**_ He asked.

"We are going to a place to make sure you are okay and to see if we can get you home, do you know where you come from?" I asked as we walked down the many flights of stairs.

_**There was a war, shouting, burning, smell of cooked meat, people screaming and running away and then this golden light...**_ he described, he must have been telling me about what happened before he fell through the rift.

"Don't worry Aang, we will keep you safe, I promise," I said as I looked down at him, he nodded as we went out of SkyPoint and into the SUV as Jack began the drive back to the hub.

When we got back, Raphael went up to Aang and held out his hand "it's okay, I am just going to check you out, fix your wounds and I am sure we can get you some clean clothes right?" He said as he looked up at Gwen who bent down beside him.

"We are friends here, there is nothing to worry about," she said as she reached her hand out to Aang, he looked up at me for reassurance and I nodded as he took Raphael's hand and he led him to the medical bay (not the autopsy version, the kid was freaked out enough as it is) as Gwen stood up and began to walk out of the hub as I called her back.

"What is it?" she asked as I went over to my desk where a syringe was left prepared for her.

"You remember the metal buttons from yesterday?" I said and she nodded "well we all have one but you, this may hurt slightly," I said as I picked up the syringe and put the needle point under her skin on her ear lobe and pushed the plunger down. Gwen let out a small gasp of pain as the button went in. I played with her ear lobe as I put the button into position and then pressed it; on my screen, a fourth light appeared in the color red "there, all done," I said as she nodded at me and then turned to walk out of the hub.

"Ummm... Ilandere, do you have any idea how old the boy is?" she asked, I looked at her and shrugged.

"He looks about ten, so I would guess that clothes with the age of ten to eleven should be okay for him," I said to her and she nodded and left the hub as I went back to my computer.

"So I finally get you alone and in my arms," a husky voice said in my ear as I jumped slightly in surprise as I felt Jack's scent engulf me.

"Well, I have been told that I have to work, my boss you see, real strict bastard and if he caught me taking a break... well I would be in a lot of trouble," I said as I turned to face him and look in his eyes.

"Well, we better keep an eye out for him," Jack said as he began to smirk and I smiled; Jack bent down slightly and kissed me lightly on the lips, a teaser of what he wanted to happen when we had the chance but even though the contact was so brief, it was enough for me to just melt in his embrace. "So, you got any plans for this evening?" he asked as I looked up at him.

"Well, I thought that I would be able to take care of Aang if you don't mind, I mean he is a humanoid creature and I have a spare room, I just don't want to leave the kid locked up in the cells especially since he is already scared of what has happened," I explained to Jack as he looked at me and thought about what I said.

"So, pizza and a DVD at your place is then in the equation?" he asked as he looked at me questionably and I nodded.

"Only if you are buying the pizza and also bringing the DVD, or Blu-ray, I have a player at my place," I said and he nodded as he quickly pulled me closer and kissed me once again. The kiss this time was not a teaser but a full on starter as his lips crashed onto mine and his tongue ran over my lips as I parted them and allowed him access, it began to run over my teeth and then play with my tongue. His hand went up my spine, causing me to shiver in delight as rested on my neck as he pulled me closer to him as the kiss began to go from starter to main course as the need for air became desperate, I gently pulled away and put my head on his chest.

"Well looks like I will have a huge appetite tonight," I said as I felt Jack's chest moving up and down as he laughed. A small presence came into my mind as I felt someone 'knocking' for entrance as I opened a small door and Aang's voice filled my head _**can you come and help me? Your friend keeps asking me questions that I can not answer**_ he said and I nodded as I left Jack's embrace and the world felt slightly colder.

"Sorry Jack, Aang needs some help, will see you later?" I asked and he nodded as I smiled at him and made my way to the medical bay.

Aang looked up at me and I felt relieve on the link that was open to him as Raphael looked up from cleaning the wound.

"What questions, do you need answering?" I asked as I sat down beside Aang and took a piece of cotton, his jacket was removed as was his top so that we could clean the cuts and make sure that he was in good health.

"Okay, we will start with the basic ones, is there anything he is allergic to?" Raphael asked as Aang told me his reply.

"Nothing on his world, but he is not sure about this planet, he thinks no," I said as I relayed the answer to the doctor.

"Okay, how old is he? Does he know what year this is?" Raphael said as the answers came across the link.

"He is not sure how many Earth years his age is, on his home planet he was still a fledgling as he was called but Gwen and I think he is about ten years old, as for the year, he has no idea," I said and so it continued for ten minutes until I let out a sigh and looked at Raphael in the eyes, "look, he is a kid, he has come to a strange place and knows nothing, how about we just make sure he is healthy and let him settle in okay?" I asked and Raphael looked at me shocked before nodding and we continued to clean his wounds. After he had taken some blood samples (yes, it was green blood), Gwen had come in with several bags of clothes. We picked out a new pair of black jeans, white t-shirt and a blue hoodie jacket and we gave then, plus a pair of socks and underwear to Aang who got changed on the bed as we drew the curtains around him.

"Any idea on what we are going to do with him?" Gwen asked.

"Jack said he can stay at my place, I have a spare room that he can sleep in, and I see that you have gotten him some extra clothes for sleeping and also for tomorrow, I guess we will go shopping the following day to get him settled, I mean it is not as if he can go home now is it?" I asked him as both of them shook their head.

"It is a good thing that Jack has an asylum policy after the last person that was stranded here due to the rift," Gwen said as Aang came out all clean and dressed: to us he looked like any ten year old boy. I bent down to his level as he came and ran up to me and hugged me.

_**Thank you for helping me and for taking me in**_ he said in my head and I smiled.

"You are more than welcome. Come on, let's get you settled at my place and Jack can deal with all of the needed stuff for you, passport, birth certificate and so on. We will have to get you to use your voice soon though since it would be best for you to enroll in school," I said as he let go of my and I stood up. I took the things from Gwen as Aang put his hand in mine and we went to the main part of the hub. I quickly gathered my things and we left and made our way to my apartment.

During the walk home, Aang and I had a conversation between us; he was asking a lot of questions, the year, the planet, the solar system and other general questions that anyone in his situation would ask. Once we got to my apartment building I opened the front door, checked the mail and then pressed the button for the lift. Getting off at the third floor, we went into my apartment and I disabled the alarm as Aang stayed in the doorway.

_**You have to invite me in, I can not go into anyone's personal place without an invitation**_ he explained as I looked at him and smiled.

_**Consider my apartment your home, for this reason you do not need an invitation, this is where you live**_ I said to him as he smiled and came in through the door. I gave him a tour of the apartment (the living room, my bedroom with my en-suit bathroom, the kitchen, the toilet and his new room which had a shower room attached to it with his own toilet) as I opened the curtains in his room, showing him doors to a balcony that was joined to my room. Aang looked around his new home in awe as I began to unpack what Gwen had brought for him.

_**Tomorrow we will need to go shopping for you, you can have anything you want, this room is now yours so tell me what you would like and I can see what I can do okay? **_I said to him as he turned and looked at me and smiled, he ran towards me and hugged my leg tightly, as I put my hand on his head and rubbed his hair, I knew then that somehow everything was going to be okay.

Leaving Aang in his room I went into the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea and thought about the past two weeks, everything with Torchwood and now that I had adopted someone it was all going really fast, but somehow everything just felt right. I heard a buzz and knew that someone was at the door downstairs. I pressed the button to activate the camera and I saw Jack starring into it.

"Captain, I thought you would not be over for a few more hours," I said as he smiled at the lens.

"Thought that you and Aang would be hungry and also I brought over a few supplies for him," he said as he held up pizza boxes and also a couple of tesco shopping bags which were filled with the stars only knew what, as I let out a laugh and pressed the other button allowing the door to open and let him in. A couple of minutes later there was a knock on my door as I opened it to revel Jack standing there, "little help please," he said as I nodded and took the pizza boxes away as he entered and kicked the door closed behind him, he made his way into the kitchen as I looked down the hallway and saw Aang's head appearing around the door.

"Aang, Jack is here with food and some other things for you; would you like to try some Earth food?" I asked him and he nodded as he came out of his room and followed me into the kitchen. Jack was already unpacking the bags which contained some bread, a thermos lunch box, some sweets, crisps and other basic kid food but also a tooth brush, some tooth paste and also a comb for his hair as to which I smiled.

"Looks like you came prepared Captain," I said as he put the cans of soda in the fridge and looked down at Aang.

"So little one, you are now part of the Torchwood asylum program. This basically means that you are under our care, if you get hurt, you contact us, if you need anything then ask us. Ilandere is going to look after you okay? Here is a birth certificate, we are guessing that you are ten years old, and today is your tenth birthday since it is the day we found you, a passport for you, we have kept your name and given you Ilandere's surname if that is okay?" Jack asked and Aang nodded, "okay, let's see, we have this bracelet for you, it is basically a medical bracelet that has Torchwood's number on it and that no treatment on you is to be done unless we are doing it okay?" Jack said and again Aang nodded as Jack undid the Velcro on put it around his right wrist. "I am going to give Ilandere the day off tomorrow so that you can both go shopping, Ilandere I have put your salary in a few weeks early so that you can buy what Aang needs for his bedroom and also clothes. Once he is able to use his vocal chords, we can enroll him in school, until then I am sure that you can educate him as he can stay in the hub and be taught there too," Jack said as to which I nodded. "Okay, official stuff out of the way, let's eat the pizza before it gets cold!" Jack said as to which I laughed as he got out some plates and I took the small personal things and put them away in Aang's room or in the safety drawer.

After we ate at the breakfast bar as Aang tried different pizza flavors (Jack had brought three pizzas) and also had a can of coke he appeared to be acting like any normal ten year old child. Once we had finished eating and we had put the dishes in the dishwasher we went into the living room as Jack pulled out a couple of Blu-rays. The first one was "Up", and then the second one was a movie that I would not let Aang see.

"Aang, why don't you go and get changed into your sleeping clothes, you remember the ones I left on the bed for you and then we can watch the cartoon before you go to bed okay?" I said to the child who nodded in agreement as he went to his room; Jack put his arm around me and pulled me close.

"You know, you make a great mother for him," he said as I blushed.

"I know what it is like coming to a strange place and not understanding anything, we are lucky to have found him: I am not sure how long he may have lasted if we didn't find him," I said as I put my hand in his and led him to the sofa. I turned on the TV and put the Blu-ray into the player as Aang came back out dressed in his pajamas and sat between Jack and me as I pressed play on the player and the movie started.

_**Why are they not in holograms?**_ Aang asked me.

"This is a primitive time for both you and me, but you get used to it," I said to him as Jack looked over at me and raised his eyebrow and I smiled as we settled down to watch the movie.

Aang fell asleep close to the end of the movie as I picked him up and took him to his room; Jack opened the covers as I put him under them and kissed him on his forehead. Jack drew the curtains shut as I looked down at the young child we had rescued today.

"Do you think he will be able to adjust?" I asked Jack as I watched him sleep.

"It will take time, the only thing we have to figure out is how to make sure he does not get hurt, having green blood kinda gives away that he is not from here," Jack said as he came up to me and held out his hand, I took it as he helped my stand up and we walked to his door.

"I am sure that I can make something with the parts we have in the hub, some kind of protective shield that will make sure he doesn't get hurt," I said as I looked down at Aang who appeared to be happy.

"Well, just be careful tomorrow when you are both out, do you want me to tag along just in case?" He asked as we walked back to the living room, I left Aang's door ajar in case he needed something.

"I am sure that we will be fine, a trip to Ikea, some clothes stores, books stores and other things and I think we will be fine," I said as we sat down on the sofa and began to watch the second movie that Jack had brought along as sleep slowly called its way to the forefront of my mind.

I awoke and found myself in my bed and knew that Jack had helped me there, and from the smell of food to go by in the apartment I knew that he hadn't left. I stretched and got out of bed and put on my bathrobe as I walked down the hall and into the kitchen. Aang was already dressed and sitting on the breakfast bar eating some cornflakes as Jack was cooking some bacon.

"So the sleeping beauty awakes," he said as he came over and kissed me on the cheek "Aang and I were just about to go and wake you, weren't we buddy?" Jack said as he turned to Aang who nodded and I smiled.

"Sorry to sleep so late, but shouldn't you be at the hub?" I asked Jack as he nodded.

"Correct, but I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Have fun shopping oh and by the way, when you see your pay cheque, please do not faint or anything, I remember Gwen telling me about the first time she got paid," Jack said as he kissed me gently on the lips and then winked at Aang as he walked out of the kitchen and grabbed his coat and left, Aang was waving to Jack as he left the apartment. I quickly made a bacon sandwich and ate it before quickly getting dressed. I returned to see Aang on the sofa watching the news; it was about some bombing happening in the Middle East _**so there is also a battle here?**_ He asked.

"Yes, but this is far away and hopefully it will end soon. Come on let's go into town and then to the hub, we may need Jack after all with the SUV to go and get you some stuff for your bedroom, have you decided on what color you would like to paint the room?" I asked him and he nodded as I handed him his coat and shoes we got ready and went out.

I was glad about the warning from Jack because I nearly had a heart attack when I saw my bank balance... that was a month's wage! Oh man I need to set some money aside for Aang and his future. Taking out some cash, we started at a clothes store, all the time communicating telepathically which was going to take its toll on me fast, hence the need for more sleep. Once we were done, I took Aang into a book store; Aang looked around in awe as I took him to the books suitable for his age, he looked in a few and put them back and shook his head _**these are too easy, is there anything harder?**_ He asked and I smiled as I took him to another section. He picked out several books as well as one on how to speak Japanese and French as well as a few maths books that were of an A-level standard. The clerk who we went to pay looked at us weirdly as he saw Aang reading one of the maths books and I smiled at him. Once we had finished buying books, we made our way to Mermaid Quay and went to wagamama to eat. Aang watched the ships going out to sea from the window as we waited for our food as silence engulfed us.

"Your child is so well behaved," a female voice said to me as I looked up and saw the waitress approaching with our drinks "wish I could say the same for the rest of them," she said in a low voice as I looked around the restaurant and saw loads of children either talking or crying while Aang would just look out of the window. I smiled at the waitress as she put our drinks on the table as Aang looked up and smiled at her and then she took our food orders and then left.

_**Is there something wrong with the way I am acting?**_ Aang asked me as I took a drink from my water.

_**No, nothing like that, it is just normally Earth children are a bit louder and demanding than you are, not that it is a bad thing, I find it personally better and I would not want to change you, **_ I said to him as he smiled at me and went back to looking out of the window. I reached into the bag where we had our books and took out one that I had brought for myself and began to read.

Our food arrived and we began to eat, Aang tried some of my food (I had ordered Raman) and pulled a face as the spiciness of the dish and I had to let out a little laugh, from then on he stuck to his noodles. Once we had finished, Aang reached over and took out one of the maths books that he brought when I looked at him and shook my head _**if you read something of such a high level than how you look, people will begin to talk, better to leave that until we get to the hub okay?**_ I said and he nodded as he looked around at the children and saw one playing a Nintendo DS.

_**What is that? **_ He asked as I looked at what he was referring to.

_**It is a gaming console, children use it to entertain themselves but it also has some good learning software like how to speak different languages, literature and puzzles on it, would you like one?**_ I asked him as I thought about the benefits of getting him one with a lot of games to enhance his intelligence. He nodded as I smiled at him and we asked the waitress for the bill and I paid. We grabbed our bags and headed to the bay. I took Aang in the secret way on the invisible lift and he smiled as he felt the paving slab going down. I looked down in the hub and saw Gwen at her workstation and she smiled as she saw us coming down and walked over to us. Raphael poked his head out of the autopsy bay and nodded in greeting as Jack stood in his office looking out of the big window facing the hub and smiled as he saw us.

"Hi Aang, did you sleep well?" Gwen asked as we came down to the hub and he nodded eagerly, "that is good to know, Jack said you had the day off?" she said to me and I nodded.

"I do, but we need the SUV to go to Ikea and also to go to a DIY shop to get some paint, you wanna come?" I said to Gwen, who looked up at Jack for confirmation, he was now on the staircase coming out of his office making his way to us.

"Sure, don't see why not, there is no rift activity," he said as he took the bags from us and began looking in them "whoa, A-level maths, looks like we either have a dumb person on the team or one hell of a smart kid," he said as I reached over and hit him, he rubbed the spot I had met and let out a small 'ow' in protest.

"Great, now that is settled, Gwen, Aang and I are taking the SUV, keys please," I said as I put my hand out and Jack let out a grumble as he dug around in his pocket and then handed me the key-ring with the control to the SUV on it and I smiled. Jack bent down at Aang's level "hey are you sure you want to go shopping with two women? It is going to be crazy you know," he commented to Aang as the child looked up at me.

"It is your choice Aang, you can stay here in the hub and read your books or you can come with Gwen and I to pick out your furniture and color for you room," I said to him as he looked between me and Jack and then grabbed my leg as I let out a triumphant sound "now that is decided we are off," I said as Jack stood up and I quickly kissed him on the cheek as Gwen went to grab her coat and we made our way to the SUV.

The trip to Ikea and the DIY store was fun, it gave me and Gwen a chance to get to know each other as we let Aang look around and pick out what he wanted. Once we were done (a new wardrobe, set of drawers, bookshelf and also a desk) at Ikea, we went to the DIY store where Aang picked turquoise color paint for the walls and for the boarder he picked Byzantium. Once we were done at the DIY store, we made a stop at tesco where we picked up a turquoise Nintendo DSi along with some learning software and then made our way back to the hub.

"Jack, we need you to do physical labor!" I said as I walked into the main part of the hub, Jack looked out at the window and shook his head, "come on, you can not expect me to carry all the boxes and paint up to my apartment now can you?" I commented as I saw him ponder and then his head stick out of his office door.

"What do I get in return?" He asked as I began to blush.

"More than likely something that I can not repeat in front of a child, so are you in?" I asked him as he looked around the hub; it was getting dark outside and technically I still needed to get Aang a mobile phone so that he was always in contact with us, but since he had not learnt to use his vocal chords yet, it was not so urgent. Jack let out a sigh as he came down the stairs and grabbed his coat, after he sent everybody home we made our way to the SUV and began the journey back to my apartment.


	6. Routines established & worldchanging

**Sorry for the dealy, writers block... I own nothing and am doing this for fun and because it helps me get thoughts and feelings out on paper. Read and review please. Torchwood is property of RTD and the BBC.**

**Chapter Six: Routines established and world-changing events happen**

Three months have passed since we found Aang and he had settled into life on Earth. We had finished his room within the week of buying the paint and furniture and he had learnt how to use his vocal chords with the help of Raphael and also we had installed a metal button in his ear in case he needed us, in fact since finding out what they did, Jack had them placed in all of the people who were on Torchwood's asylum program so that they could send us a distress signal just by touching their ear lobes. With these buttons, I made sure that their communication frequency was on a different one from the one we used every day in the hub but also so that we could change it by using a keyword when we saw that one of them was in danger. Aang was set to start school the following day; Jack had called in a favor and got him a place at Kings Monkton School which was not too far from my apartment but quite a distance from the hub. Aang and I were in our apartment ; I was reading on the sofa with my notebook open on the hubs computers in case of a rift spike as Aang came up to me.

"Ilandere can I ask you something?" Aang said as I looked up at him, I was still getting used to his voice being heard instead of being in my head.

"Of course Aang, what is it?" I said as I closed my book and made room for him on the sofa. I patted the spot next to me as he joined me and then turned to look at me.

"Can I call you mom?" He asked I looked at him in shock; this was something I was not expecting him to ever ask, as a small tear began to fall down my cheek.

"Of course you can if that is what you really want?" I asked him as he jumped on me and wrapped his arms around me and hugged me.

"It is what I want… mom," he said as I put my arms around him and hugged him close. After a few minutes he pulled away and smiled at me as I looked at him.

"Come on, there is still something we need to buy you so get your shoes on and let's go shopping," I said as he nodded and went to his room to get ready as I looked at my notebook and made sure everything was quiet before sending a message to Jack saying that I was going to be away from my notebook and that I will not be able to keep an eye on the rift activity. He wrote back saying that it was okay as I grabbed my keys and Aang and I left the apartment.

As we walked out, Jessie was also coming out of his apartment.

"Ah Ilandere, long time no see," he said as he looked at me and I smiled.

"Jessie, how are you doing?" I asked as he locked his door and came up to me and Aang who was at my side.

"I am doing fine, who is this next to you?" He asked as he came up and bent down to Aang, "hi, my name is Jessie and I am a friend of Ilandere, what is your name?"

"My name is Aang and Ilandere adopted me," he said as I looked at the shocked face of Jessie and smiled on the inside.

"You adopted a kid?" He asked and I nodded "wow, that is unexpected," he continued as he looked at Aang and me, the atmosphere started to get uncomfortable as I coughed and smiled at Jessie.

"Well, we are off out shopping for Aang before he starts school tomorrow, it was nice seeing you again Jessie," I said as Aang and I went to the lift and called it, leaving Jessie stunned at my apartment door.

I took Aang to the Apple store in the town center and told him what we were here for, "you can have a computer for home and an iPod for music if you like," I said as we walked in and he looked around. We came out of the store a while later with a Mac computer and also an iPod shuffle in blue. We then went back home and began to install everything for Aang as he looked at me and smiled.

"Thank you for everything you have done for me, you really are my mom," he said as he hugged me and I was taken aback slightly before I hugged him back.

"It's okay Aang, we will make sure that nothing will come to harm, in fact I have something else for you," I said as I went into my room to get the thing I had been working on. I had just finished it last night and had the chance to try it out on myself (Jack would kill me if he knew what I had been doing) as I put it in the box and went back into Aang's room. He was playing with the software on the computer as I came in and handed him the box "open it," I said as he took it from my grasp and opened the box to reveal a watch sitting there, he took it out and put it on his left wrist as I pressed the top left button as a light shimmered over his body briefly "this watch is designed with a special force field around it, this means that you won't get cut when doing things like sport and so on, but if something bigger than that was to happen, well let's just say it won't hold for long okay?" I explained and he nodded as he hugged me and then went back to his computer.

The day passed and soon I was standing with Aang outside the school gates of his school with Jack standing in front of the SUV,

"Remember if you need anything just ring me, and if it is urgent then you can always talk to me okay?" I said as he looked at me and nodded, he looked small with his rucksack on his back and dressed in his new school uniform and his thermos lunch bag in his other hand that Jack had given him on the day we found him. "Go and have fun, one of us will be here to pick you up, also try some of the sports, I am sure you will like some of them and be good at them," I said as I kissed him on the head and he hugged me tightly.

_**You will be here if I need you? **_ He asked me.

_**In a flash, I promise, I have put the coords of the school in my wrist-strap; I can be here as soon as you call me okay?**_ I said to him and he nodded as he pulled away and began the walk up the stairs, I felt an arm go around me as Jack came up and hugged me.

"He will be fine," he said and I nodded in agreement "would a round of weevil hunting distract you?" Jack said in my ear as I continued to watch Aang going into the school building as I looked up at him and smiled as he led me to the SUV and made our way to the well-known weevil hunting ground.

After driving a few weevils underground, we made our way back to the hub where Gwen and Raphael were working on something else. I went to my workstation and took a look at the readings as something caught my interest.

"There was a small rift spike about twenty minutes ago, but it was not large enough to set the alarms off…" I said to no one in particular, "but the strange thing is the energy seemed to have entered the hub somehow," I said as I read through the readings and then pin-pointed the location of the energy. I reached into my drawer on my workstation and grabbed a gun as I saw Gwen coming up towards me.

"What do you mean it entered the hub? Raph and I have seen nor heard anything," she explained as she went to her workstation and got her gun. I went down the hall and read the readings from the PDA that I had in my hand and held my hand out for her to stop as we approached one of the doors to the hubs archives. I opened the door and we made our way into the room and split up as Gwen went down one corridor and I went down the other one; the PDA began to beep as I pressed my wrist-strap and pressed the button as I whispered into it "Jack we have a situation in archive room five, can you get down here?" as I waited for a response I looked around and saw something glowing in the corner of the corridor I was going down as my PDA began to get some crazy readings and began to look down at the screen as I read the readings and gulped, "Gwen we need to umm… get back okay?" I said into my ear piece as I began to back away.

"Why, what is going on?" she said to me as we bumped into each other and backed out of the room.

"Yeah, that thing is kinda radioactive so it is best of we get out of there," I said as Jack came up behind us.

"So what we got?" He asked as I handed him the PDA and he read the information that was being provided to him as his eye brow raised, "why did the hub sensors not detect it?" he asked me.

"Because it is too low to be picked up from the senor and the rift reading was only a glitch that was not anything to be accounted for," I said as I made my way to the room where the radioactive suits were kept as we walked in and began to kit up as Jack handed me the PDA and we put the helmets on and grabbed one of the boxes. We went back into the room and Jack went up to the object as I came up and got a closer look at it; it was a round small ball that was floating in mid-air as I watched him pick it up and put it in the box as it turned red. We took off the masks and I let out a sigh as the object floated in the box and I took hold of it and we made our way out to the decontamination room.

I watched Jack as I tapped my fingers on the table in the decontamination chamber of the room as Jack looked at me.

"Why are you so impatient?" He asked me.

"Because you are taking too long, what are you waiting for?" I asked him as I sat up and sighed "it is not going to explode as far as I can tell otherwise it would have already done so!" I said as I stood up and walked to him who was standing in front of the box. I took out my PDA and began to do some more readings as I flipped open my wrist-strap and took some other readings as Jack watched me in interest. I could feel his eyes looking up and down my body as I worked and I blushed slightly as I saw Gwen watching the interaction from the outside "so what is it?" she asked through her ear piece as my wrist strap beeped and I looked at the results.

"A new power supply, the radioactive is a defense mechanism… it is a live creature but it emits so much power that they are used for power supplies on one of the planets two solar systems away from here, I think I can get her to help us," I said as I went over to the box and it turned color from red to orange "hi there, my name is Ilandere, and these are my friends, we mean you no harm," I said to her as she looked at me and began to change color… this was the way that they communicated to people and also could tell us a lot about her "you are far away from home, this is the milky way galaxy… two whole solar systems away from your home one. You came through something called the rift, we are not sure how to get you home but we promise to protect you while you are here, in return we would like to ask you to be a power source for our hub; what do you think?" I asked her as the color changed from orange to white and then silver as the readings for the radiation dropped down and I smiled "thank you for your understanding, come out and play," I said to her as I opened the box and she floated out at came over to me and hovered next to me "I am going to call you Synergy for now," I said to the ball as it bounced in glee "come on, meet the rest of the team," I said as I went over to Jack and introduced him and then we came out and introduced the others as the ball stayed next to me at all times.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully as the end of school came and Gwen came with me to pick up Aang. I saw him talking to some boys that must have been from his class as he saw me and smiled and came over to me "school was interesting, and you said I go here five days a week?" he said and I nodded "the lessons are too easy," he said as I frowned and a teacher came up to me "hi, my name is Miss. Huges and I am Aang's science teacher," she said as she held out her hand and I shook it.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Ilandere Starr, I am Aang's mother," I said as she nodded at me.

"Aang is showing a higher level of intelligence and interest in science that I would like him to do a test to see if he is able to do his GCSE's a bit earlier, after talking to his other teacher's, they would agree with my suggestion," she said as I listened to her and opened my link to Aang _**they want you to do a test which is way to easy for you,**_ I said to him as he looked up at me and I shrugged at him… we both knew that he was of a higher intelligence level and were unsure as to how to proceed… but if it was what he wanted then I would not stop him _**do you want to take the test?**_ I asked him as he looked at me and pondered.

_**Maybe we should talk to Jack about it,**_ he said as I shook my head at him _**are the lessons too easy?**_ I asked him and he nodded _**then for you to be happy, take the tests, the last thing I want is you being bored at school, would you like to try them?**_ I asked him as he nodded and I looked at the teacher "okay, this is fine… when you would like him to take the tests?" I asked her as she smiled at me.

"We have some mock tests that Aang can take, when would you like to do them?" she bent down to ask him.

"I can do them tomorrow if you wish ma'am," he said as she nodded and went back into the school to arrange the tests.

Aang, Gwen and I got into the SUV as the communicator beeped in the car "what's up Jack?" Gwen said as she pressed the button and we got in.

"We got some rift activity about ten miles away from your current location; do you think you can make it there?" he said as she looked at me and then at Aang… she didn't really want to do anything with the child in the car as I nodded and she pressed the button "ETA in five minutes," she said as she started the SUV and sped off to the location as I made the lights green for us to get there quickly. We pulled up to a wood area as I reached over and got the handheld PDA that we always used as we saw a quick flash which we knew to be the rift 'throwing' something out as it went as quickly as it came "rift activity has stopped," I said as I looked at the PDA as it beeped, there was something with rift energy residue on it as Gwen reached into the glove compartment and handed me a gun as she took her own and we pressed the buttons in our ears "Aang, stay here okay?" I said to him as he nodded as we got out and then locked the SUV to be on the safe side. Gwen came up to me as she looked at the PDA and we began to walk to the location. We hid behind the trees as the signal got stronger as I looked out and saw a metal object on the floor… knowing that we were not going to encounter someone or something I put the gun under my belt on my back and went closer to the object. I began to use the PDA to scan it as well as using my wrist strap to see if it knew anything as my wrist strap beeped, signaling that the item was not radioactive or dangerous for us to pick up as Gwen joined me "what is it?" she asked as I shrugged "I say we get it back to the hub," she said as she took off her rucksack from her back and I nodded as I lifted it up and put it in as we then made our way back to the SUV and saw Aang reading one of his books. We got in, put the rucksack in the boot and drove back to the hub.

Jack was waiting as we got in; Aang ran to my desk and sat down as he went back to doing his homework, Gwen handed him the rucksack as I went up to Aang to make sure he was okay. Jack came up and scuffed up his hair "hey Uncle Jack," he said as Jack smiled at the child.

"How was your first day at school?" he asked him.

"Easy, are all children as intellectually challenged as the ones I was with?" he asked Jack as to which I let out a little laugh as I walked away, leaving Jack to take care of that conversation. I went over to Gwen who was making some coffee "did Aang just ask Jack what I heard?" she said as I nodded and she let out a laugh too "love to hear the answer to that question," she said as I nodded and we took our cups of coffee over to the sofa area as Jack came over about ten minutes later "how did it go?" Gwen asked him as we looked at his expression… his eyes were wide as we both laugh "that is one smart kid," he said as I nodded in agreement "he may have to play it down a bit and we can sign him up for some online courses," Jack suggested as I thought about this and liked the idea… only problem was that he was too young to have his name on the diploma so I guess it meant some hacking time for me as Jack sat down next to Gwen and looked at me "thinking of some hacking?" he said as I nodded and looked back at Aang who was writing something now.

"I would do anything to make him happy and I know that these are too easy for him but he has to go to school and I think it would be a good idea for the online courses," I said as I stood up and went over to my workstation as Aang looked up at me "go back to studying sweetie," I said to him as he nodded and went back to his work as I quickly overrode some of the university online courses and enrolled Aang for science and maths degrees, knowing that he could more than likely handle both at the same time, or do a major minor course, whatever he preferred. I transferred the course fees to the bank account and also gave my address but used Aang's name as I pressed the enter key and looked down at him "you wanna go home?" I asked him as he nodded and I turned to find Jack to tell him we were leaving.

Jack was in his office watching via remote desktop how Ilandere flew with ease into the different databases and also overrode the websites and enrolled Aang in the courses she thought best suited for him. Once her computer stopped working, he knew that she must have been thinking about going home even though they had a new piece of alien technology that needed looking over as he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in," Jack said as I opened the door and went into his office "ah Ilandere, what can I do for you?" he asked as I walked in and closed the door.

"I know we have a new alien technology that you more than likely would like me to analyze and take apart, but I would like to take Aang home and get him something to eat, can I take care of it in the morning?" I asked him as he looked at me and nodded "I know that it isn't dangerous left alone, it looks like to be a part of something so much bigger," I said as I picked it up and played with it in my hands, it was light so I knew that it was made of a metal not from this planet or at least this time period as I put it back down on the table.

"Best to lock it up just in case and you can then work on it tomorrow," he said as he picked it up, bagged it and put it in the safe. I nodded in agreement as I turned to leave his office "want to come over?" I asked him as I reached the door and turned to look at him "you haven't been round for a while nor have you seen how Aang's room now looks," I said as he came up to me and put his arms around my waist and pulled me close.

"It would be nice to spend some time with you, we haven't been able to since we first brought Aang to your place," he said as I nodded and turned in his embrace to face him "so much has changed," I said to him as he nodded and moved closer to me "and it would be nice to see you outside of work," he said as he once again nodded and kissed me lightly on the lips, sending tingles throughout my whole body. He pulled back and nodded once again "will bring something other than pizza this time and some movies," he said as I nodded and kissed him quickly on the lips before leaving his embrace and office to go and collect Aang and take him home.

The buzzer rang, and I knew who was at the door before I stood up as Aang ran out of his room and answered it "Jack's here with food and something to watch!" he said as he opened the door and looked out to see Jack coming and went up to him "oh wow what did you bring for us today? What's this?" I heard him say as they came into the apartment and closed the door as I heard Jack laugh as Aang took the boxes from the video store and went into the living room as he put the rest on the table in the kitchen before coming over to kiss me on the cheek "hey beautiful," he said to me as he looked over my shoulder and saw Aang had already put on one of the Blu rays that he had rented and was watching it as I went into the kitchen and saw that he had gotten some chicken from KFC and smiled as I took it into the living room and sat down next to Aang as I handed him a box with the chicken and chips in it for him to eat. Jack sat down next to me so that I was in the middle as he put his arm around me and pulled me closer as we ate "so looks like I made someone happy," he said as he took some chicken out of the bucket and I looked at Aang.

"You are going to spoil this child you know that," I said as I began to eat some of the food that he had gotten for us.

"Yeah well, he deserves it," he said as he scuffed up Aang's hair again as the child let out a moan as he looked at Jack before returning to the food and movie.

"I have given her everything he wants, I am sure that Aang is happy here right?" I said as I looked down at the child in question.

"Of course mother, you are amazing towards me," he said as he kissed me on the cheek before returning to the film and food "I love you mom, no matter what," he said as he hugged me before returning to the food and film once more as a tear fell down my cheek.

I went into the hub the next day and did exactly what Jack wanted me to do as he handed me the alien artifact that we had found the previous day. Synergy was hovering near me the whole time as I fed her some paper that she seemed to like and looked over the device… there was a hole and I wondered if it was more than a coincidence that she came through the rift and then so did this piece of technology as she went into the hole and fitted perfectly as the machine began to light up as I smiled at her "thanks Synergy, now if only I knew of a way to connect this to the hub's main power supply we would be sorted," I said to myself as Synergy changed color in agreement and I laughed as Jack came down to my desk "see you found out what it is," he said as I shook my head "not me, Synergy showed me what it did," I said as I pointed to the ball of energy sitting in the device "Jack this can not be a coincidence that we have Aang coming through the rift and then Synergy and now a device that helps her channel her energy to be used as a power source… what is going on?" I said to him as I followed him to his office and he opened the door which I automatically closed behind "you don't believe in coincidences and neither do I," I said as I sat down on his sofa and he sat behind his desk "I agree, but time will tell how events will unfold. How long will it take for you to get new energy source hooked up?" he asked as he typed something on his computer "about a week I think," I said as knowing that the conversation was over I stood up and walked towards the door "are you free tonight?" he asked as I turned to face him.

"I have to look after a child now, you know that," I said to him as he smiled and nodded at me "let's Aang get settled into school and then we can talk about a date," I said to him as he nodded and I left the office.

It was the day after Aang's GCSE mock tests and it was a weekend; I was on call but hoping that the rift would stay calm. We were having breakfast as the buzzer rang and Aang went to the door and pressed the button to see who it was "uncle Jack, what are you doing here?" I heard him say over the communication link.

"Am here to see you and your mum, thought you would both like a day out," he said as I came up to the door.

"And who is taking care of the hub?" I asked him as I pulled my nightgown closer to my body.

"Gwen and Raph are staying there and I am sure that you can always get us there in a hurry if need be," he said as he moved his hands and flowers filled the screen "present for you," he said as I blushed and looked at Aang as his other hand came into the camera "and those for you Aang," he said as he showed us tickets for a theme park nearby as the boy looked at me and smiled "Jack you are spoiling him, how can I say no?" I said as I pressed the button to let him in as Aang went into his room to get dressed. I waited to let Jack in who kissed me on the lips and handed me the flowers as I took them to put them in the vase as he came into the kitchen and put his arms around my waist and pulled me close "a day of normality is what both of you deserve," he said as his aftershave clouded any sane thoughts that I had as I turned in his arms and he kissed me on the lips as shivers went down my spine as he pulled me closer and I let him take control and deepen the kiss as I moaned and shivered more in pleasure and desire. I could feel Jack smiling as he kissed me, knowing that he had hit something that I wanted as he held onto me as tight as he could and pushed all of his feelings, desires and also wants into the kiss until the need for air got the best of us. "I should go to get dressed," I said to him as I left his embrace only for him to take hold of my wrist "don't be gone too long," he said to me as he kissed my hand causing me to blush as I went to my room to get changed.

"Wow that was amazing!" Aang said as he came off a roller coaster ride with Jack "why are you being so nice to me uncle Jack?" he asked as they came up to me.

"You are the youngest member of our asylum program and also I get to spend time with your mother," he said as he winked at Aang and I blushed as we walked to the next ride as I felt my phone vibrating and I reached into my pocket "Starr," I said as I heard Gwen talking on the phone "slow down Gwen, what is going on?" I asked her.

"Your energy pet is not happy," she said as I let out a small laugh.

"Synergy is causing you some trouble?" Feed her some paper and if that doesn't work play with her for a while," I said as I knew that she more than likely had no idea what I was talking about "she likes to have things thrown to chase, like a little dog just without the horrible side effects," I said as she let out a small laugh before hanging up and Jack looked at me "Synergy is a bit hyper today," I said to him as he let out a small laugh.

"Gwen was worried about your little ball of energy," he said as I shrugged.

"She is fine, she has settled into the hub, we just need to channel her energy now," I said as Aang stopped in front of one of the rides and I looked at it and gulped, no way I was going to go on that one with them! "Aang, how about you go with Jack?" I said as he nodded and dragged Jack onto the ride as I went into my bag and took out my netbook and went into the hub's network. I had nearly finished preparing everything so that Synergy could be hooked up to the hub once I figured out how to use the device that came through the rift at the beginning of the week. Some of the parts in the archives were helpful but still there was the worry that once I hooked up Synergy she would overload the power core and that was something I needed to work on, the equation was on my computer on the network, hence the reason why I was doing this on my netbook. I sat down at the bench near the ride and began to run some equations in order to be able to finish everything within one day.

"Mum, can we go and get something to eat now?" Aang said as he came off the ride and sat down beside me while I was on the netbook; he looked over at the equation as I felt him knocking on my mind shields _**nearly there but not quite, may I?**_ he asked as I turned to him and nodded as I handed him my netbook and he began to type something before handing it back to me and I smiled _**you are a smart and amazing little boy, let no one tell you otherwise and that I love you**_, I said to him as I kissed him on the head and he moved closer to me as I ran the equation through the simulator and it looked stable, now all I needed to do was to finish building the connection from Synergy's shell to the hub's core as Jack came over and I closed my netbook locking it at the same time as I put my arm around Aang "everything is on track," I said to Jack as I hugged Aang "thanks to his help," I said as I leaned down towards the child and kissed him on the forehead as he blushed; Jack smiled at us as he took out a camera from his pocket and took our picture before we went to get some food.

I opened the door as Jack followed carrying Aang in his arms; he had a stuffed elephant in his embrace that Jack had won him from one of the stalls in the theme park as he took the boy to his bedroom as he let out a small moan as Jack put him onto his bed and took off his shoes and covered him with his blanket as I watched him kiss him on his forehead before turning to look at me and smiling and walking over to me "you treat him like he is your own," I said as I closed the door and we went into the kitchen.

"As do you," he said as I put on the kettle.

"I am his legal guardian and I love him so very much… if it wasn't for me, for Torchwood who knows what would have happened to him," I said as Jack nodded as we took a bottle of water each and went onto the sofa "but you are the boss of Torchwood, and do not have to do this," I said to him as I opened the bottle and drunk from it as me smirked at me and moved closer.

"Yes I know, but spending time with Aang, means I get to be with you," he said as he began to kiss me on the neck and I moaned "and when I am with you…" he said as he kissed the other side of my neck "everything feels different, feels right," he whispered in my ear as he looked me in the eyes "you have turned a lot of things around, you have made us ready for the 21st century; I know that you are still working on a lot of things and it is all amazing and the ball, the memories…" he said as he continued to kiss my cheek and also other little places on my face, nibbling on my ear lobe as I moaned and let out a little laugh.

"So you are here to show your appreciation for what I do for the hub?" I said as he looked me in the eyes and I saw something I never thought I would ever see in a man before "no, I am not doing this for anything like that," he said as he pulled me closer and kissed me hard on the lips putting the emotions and everything he could not say in words into it as my eyes went wide in shock at first before relaxing in the kiss and letting him take control of it, for him to get out all the emotions he wanted to get out before the need for air gotten to the both of us as he put his forehead on mine as we inhaled as much as we can "no, I do this because Ilandere, I love you," he said as I gasped as he said those three words to me "I love you Ilandere, and not for you being a person like me or for giving me back my memories or for everything that you have done to the hub but because of you being you," he continued as tears fell down my cheeks and he took my hands in his and held onto them tightly "and I want to open up to you, to be honest with you and be with you for as long as you can put up with me," he said as I let out a small laugh and smiled at his statement "and that includes Aang," he said as he raised my hands to his lips and kissed them "so are you going to say anything?" he said to me as I realized I was still in shock and looked in his eyes and saw nothing but truth as I smiled at him.

"I love you too Jack, so very, very much," I said as he smiled at me and took my face in his hands and kissed me on the lips as my heart raced to speeds I never thought possible.


End file.
